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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24661255">The Truth Untold</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akira_722/pseuds/Akira_722'>Akira_722</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>BLACKPINK (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, alternative universe - Mermaid and royalty</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 04:35:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>44,048</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24661255</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akira_722/pseuds/Akira_722</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>***A story where a mermaid princess falls for a human, who has got nothing to do with merfolk except for revenge***</p><p>In the world where mermaid stories used to be bed time tales for children, are now told as horror stories.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jeon Jungkook/Park Jimin, Kim Taehyung | V/Lalisa Manoban | Lisa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Once upon a time," a woman in her sixties, with long black and grey hair fastened neatly at the back of her head, wearing a rich brown silk gown that told where she belonged to, mumbles as for only her grandson to listen, continuously running her fingers through his soft ocean blue hair, smiling, "there lived a prince, and he,"</p><p>"Grandma," a gentle voice, of the crown prince, her grandson interrupts looking up at her with his blue eyes - that has the same color as his hair - wide open from where he lay on his bed covered with fur as soft as his hair, "I have heard this one," he whines in his five year old voice, his small chubby fingers reaching up to his grandma's hand in his hair and mildly taking them in two of his little ones.</p><p>The queen mother smiles affectionately - her smile spreading all over her face making the creases over her aged face look beautiful - at how her grandson moans, every time reminding her of her son, Kim Taehyung. She kisses his temple, warmth spreading her insides, knowing she is loving her son's little version, laying beside him with her right hand propped up supporting her head and left entwined in crown prince's tiny hands.</p><p>"This is a different one," she cooes, trying to talk like her grandson, raising her brows slowly.</p><p>"No," he protests and sits up, his small frame looking big all of a sudden, "Tell me about mermaids," the queen mother jolts up and her eyes go wide at the mention of the word. She stares at the innocent, tiny frame sitting in front of her pouting, as if he was not already adorable enough for the queen mother to soften a bit more at the mere change he did with his lips. Her thoughts about scolding him or asking where he heard it from, long forgotten.</p><p>From the corner of her eyes, she notices the portiere move, as if it sensed the unease of the court lady behind it. She ignores her for now and smiles down at her grandson's big curious eyes, that are twinkling in the dark of the night. The room lightened with candles at the sides of the bed and the corners of the room.</p><p>"Not now little one," she whispers pinching his cheeks, smiling, knowing how stubborn her grandson is, just like her son, but still giving it a try to stop him from frowning more and more with each passing second wanting to know about the mermaids.</p><p>She sighs, "Let's listen to it when my baby prince is, um, 15?" she lowers her head to come in level with her grandson and places her hand on his left rosy cheek watching him lower his eyes and pushing his bottom pink lip out. She is amused and delighted to see her grandson act exactly like his father, Kim Taehyung. She laughs heartily, startling her court lady as well as the guards at the crown princes rooms door. It is only with Kim Chi that she ever smiles or laughs, after she had to part with her dearest son.</p><p>"You are just like your darling father," she says tenderly and immediately regrets when Chi giggles, knowing she will be bombarded with his innocent questions again, and she will have to lie again. Albeit relieved he wouldn't ask about mermaids anymore.</p><p>"Where is father?" Is his first question and he straighten ups as if he could grow any taller doing it. Chi never gets tired of asking the same question to anyone and everyone who surrounds him. Be it his mother, grandmother, court ladies, guards, or cooks. He gets the same answer every time, yet asks as if someday the answer would change. "When is he coming to see me?"</p><p>"Soon," his grandmother replies yet affectionately, even as she lies. Guilt clouds her eyes when the crown prince jumps up on the bed, delighted and claps his hands. She sweeps the thoughts clouding her mind away and swats her grandson lightly, smiling again.</p><p>"Look at you, the most ill behaved prince." Chi starts running on his bed in circles, his laugh resonating his whole room or who knows even the whole palace, at his grandma when she fails to catch him with both her hands. He would be called a spoiled prince only at his grandmothers expense.</p><p>"No! Crown prince!" his says as if his little soul knows what the title means.</p><p>She has always loved him more than any other prince in the palace and had therefore spoiled him, letting the little devil do whatever he had wished for.</p><p>While every royal member is taught about the royal manners from the very start, Chi has always run away from it, courtesy of the queen mother. Even though he is just five, his other cousins who are elder or even younger than him, know how to behave like a royalty, which Chi in his still baby voice says, is being rude giving orders to his dear court ladies, guards and the others that work for the king.</p><p>"Forgive your dear grandma, his excellency." She smiles and bows her head when Chi comes back to her jumping and sits on her lap. She laughs fondly when Chi reaches up to her from her lap and places a soft kiss on her left cheek. Her smile the brightest today.</p><p>She stiffens all of a sudden when a familiar voice sings lullaby. As if direly wanting the child to sleep.</p><p>She recognizes the voice immediately.</p><p>How can she not?</p><p>When it is the same voice that has destroyed her life, that has snatched away her happiness in a mere second, that has ripped her soul apart, that has wrenched the life out of her, leaving nothing but just emptiness. All the happiness she was just feeling, gets thrown out of the window the second she hears the voice.</p><p>Even though it is distant, the crown prince stops playing and listens to his mother sing. The queen mother loathes the queen, who albeit has beautiful voice, it pierces the queen mothers soul, reminding her of the cries she listens to in her nightmares, she rocks Chi in her lap to sleep, remembering how her beloved husband - the king, and her sons were snatched away from her so brutally by mermen.</p><p>She trembles lightly remembering the moment her family was snatched away from her. The pictures of her sons, dying, passing before her eyes. She remembers how she had seen her husband and her sons die before her own naked eyes and how she had felt helpless and pathetic for not being able to do anything for her family. How her hands were filled with their blood when she had sat beside their dead bodies wishing all this were a dream. A bad dream. Her worst nightmare. How furiously she had been shaking her head and closing her eyes tightly praying everything to get normal when she opens them. But when it didn't, all she could do was mourn. And curse the merfolk for their evil sins.</p><p>She had sworn that day, to wipe out every mermen on the planet, if not with her own hands, then by what had remained of her family.</p><p>Yet here she was, after seven years, clutching the crown prince, the descendant of the water creature, to her breast so dearly as if he would disappear any second, just like her son.</p><p> </p><p>(Gyotaejeon is a building used as the main residing quarters by the queen)</p><p>(Donggung is the living quarters for the crown prince)</p><p>Meanwhile, at Gyotaejeon, a woman, with long hair of color blue and violet - just like the shade of sky at dawn - that reaches down to her knees, stands by the pillar outside her quarters, her head resting by the pillar with her right hand on the chest where her heart is and left circled around the pillar, looking peacefully at Donggung, her skin gleaming under the moonlight, singing, with a faint smile playing on her lips, missing the touch of her love, Kim Taehyung, and her son Kim Chi.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey everyone. This is my first work.</p><p>And..</p><p>Um..</p><p>Hope-you-like-it.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>From here on, the story will be from what happened 7 years ago.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>SEVEN YEARS AGO :</p>
<p>The blue peaceful sea, with all its creatures swimming normally just like every other day in the sea, seems different, is somehow not at peace today. The Pink See-Through Fantasias - the sea cucumbers - are swimming everywhere, they would emit light if something was wrong. The sea angels, who are not actually angels, but the predators that feed over sea butterflies, are busy near the grass by the biggest rock and the jelly fish are swimming straight to the octopus, who is hiding behind the rock, fooling its prey to directly swim into its mouth that is in the center of its tentacles.</p>
<p>There is no sign of any storm, hurricane, cyclone, tsunami, or even earthquake. Nor is the human land in any trouble because of the sea, thinks the mermaid princess, looking at a shark far away. Although the sharks meant danger, but it is just not them, it is something else.</p>
<p>The mermaid princess, her long colorful hair floating behind her, nicely tucked behind her ears with pearls that make a hairband for her hair and her colorful tail - which has all possible colors in it, making it even more beautiful, not the type of colorful that stings the eye, but the type that anyone might fall in love with, floating below her, is just not able to put her finger on what kind of mood today the sea is in.</p>
<p>She swirls, narrowing her jade colored eyes, to look around her once again to check what is out of place today. What she sees again, is a shark far away - who definitely cannot spot the mermaids from that distance, and also because of the huge broken human ship, making a barrier between the shark and the other creatures, blocking their sight, of course the mermaid princess can see them because of her powers. She spots her friends swimming, trying to catch each other, her aunt sitting by a rock with flowers and grass by her side, with her baby daughter, making her laugh while playing with her nose, looking at the baby so affectionately and gently - mermaid princess smiles faintly, and looks away to see a few other mermaids.</p>
<p>No mermen in sight.</p>
<p>An orange colored vampire squid, a water creature she thinks of to be very alluring because of the similarities it shares with both octopuses and squid, its bottom like octopus, passes from in front of her eyes, moving up and down in front of her eyes, as if teasing her, blocking her sight. She swats it away with her left hand and throws a quick glance towards it as if daring it to irritate her one more time.</p>
<p>The vampire squid swims away, bored at her reaction it always gets after teasing her. She ignores it and starts pondering over the silence of the sea again.</p>
<p>Hmm. What could it be?</p>
<p>She taps her index finger on the sharp object around her waist, even though she has never learned how to use it, she has been told to keep it if in case she is in danger, she should stab whatever it is that has put her in danger. She frowns and twists her mouth, frustrated that she is not able to identify what it is that has made the sea go so silent. Not in peace. But the kind of silence which comes before storm.</p>
<p>She feels someone coming from behind, tapping on her shoulder, 'Stop it, I don't like your grey hair,' a mermaid with green hair and tail smiles at her.</p>
<p>'Hmm? I am not doing anything,' The mermaid princess thinks in confusion and turns to face her aunt completely.</p>
<p>'Maybe you didn't know, but it is very few times that you are anxious. And when you are, your hair turns grey, so whatever is bothering you, don't think about. I figured you don't want to let anyone know what's on your mind, because all you have thought of is "hmm, what could it be?" so I won't ask you. But don't at least trouble you hair, it's all grey.' she looks at her hair and back at the princess.</p>
<p>Mermaid princess remembers her colorful hair changing colors as long as she has known, according to her moods. She had felt the eerie when the other mermaid or mermen didn't change the color of their hair. She had asked her mother why is it that only her hair color changes and her tail is colorful while the others had hair and tail color the same? When she was said it was because she is a princess, she was even more confused. But the king and the queen are like other merfolk, she had thought but was never answered.</p>
<p>She hadn't noticed they go grey when she is anxious. Maybe there wasn't any need for her to get anxious or there wasn't anything that made her anxious till now for her to notice. But if whatever she is feeling, is anxiousness, then something must be wrong.</p>
<p>'You look terrible with your grey hair and now frowning face,' her aunt nods towards her daughter, 'you will scare her.'</p>
<p>The mermaid princess smiles sheepishly looking at the baby mermaid, her hair turning to light pink color, now pushing the thought of something-is-wrong away and waving at the little yellow tailed mermaid.</p>
<p>'Look after her, I'll be back in few minutes,' her aunt smiles kissing her daughter, and swims in the opposite direction towards where the king is with other mermen, after confirming that the mermaid princess will take care of her.</p>
<p>The mermaid princess cheerfully swims towards the baby not knowing she is going to regret it.</p>
<p>'Hey cutie,' she beams at the baby and sits on a rock beside her. The little mermaid goes behind the mermaid princess' back and touches her hair in awe.</p>
<p>'waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa,' is what the mermaid princess could figure out. Not knowing what actually the baby wants to say.</p>
<p>'Eh, what?' she thinks and turns around to look at the baby, wanting to know if she is hungry or needs something. Her eyes go round and she turns left, right and everywhere when the baby is not behind her, her hair turning red and orange dreading she had lost the baby. 'But she was just here!'</p>
<p>'Prreeeettttyyyyyy,' she hears the baby think and looks up only to make a flat face.</p>
<p>'You scared me hyung!,' she gets up from the rock she was sitting on and turns to scowl at the merman with purple hair and tail, smiling at her playfully, holding the baby mermaid with his left hand while his right one holding a sharp three bladed weapon. His smile spreads even more over his face when his sister - mermaid princess - smiles at his childish prank, 'What are you doing here? I thought father had something important to tell all the mermen about?'</p>
<p>She notices how her friends and a few other mermaids have stopped doing whatever they were doing and gawking at the breathtaking purple haired merman who has just arrived.</p>
<p>His arresting merman body turns to wink at the mermaids ogling him, making them swoon and giggle.</p>
<p>'Brat!' Mermaid princess swats his arm forcing him to look at her to which he flashes his rabbit like teeth. It's not the mermaids' fault. Anyone would gawk at him admiring his beautiful self.</p>
<p>The 7th princes' striking face suddenly changes to a serious one, not making him any less handsome,'Yoongi hyung and I were told to look after you,' he thinks and turns around and frowns when Yoongi is nowhere to be seen.</p>
<p>'Well? Where is Yoongi hyung? And why would you look after me? I am not little anymore. I can even change into' She stops thinking mid-sentence and immediately looks the other way to ask the same question, 'Where is Yoongi hyung?' and avoids to look in the eye of her elder brother, playing with the pearls around her wrist that looks like a bracelet.</p>
<p>The prince, releases the baby mermaid form his hands and raises his right brow at the princess mermaid, who keeps avoiding his stare, 'Change into what?'</p>
<p>The baby mermaid goes behind the princess again and start playing with her hair, trying to sleep on it and when not possible, trying to tangle her hair with her little fingers.</p>
<p>'pretty prettyyyy soft sooooffftttt,' the baby thinks.</p>
<p>'You wanna mess with my hair huh?' she thinks with a bored expression, watching the baby play.</p>
<p>'Answer the question. Lalisa.' Another voice, that sounds like a command speaks and the princess knows she will have to deal with her angry brother for letting her thoughts slip. She turns around to face the 4th prince, standing mere inches away from her face, his shiny black hair and tail making him look more intimidating, his stony black angry eyes piercing through hers, making the princess shiver.</p>
<p>'Yoongi hyung, let me handle - ,' the 7th prince thinks only to stop abruptly when Yoongi, the 4th prince, glares at him to stop him from thinking any further.</p>
<p>Yoongi looks back at the princess, who reaches out to hold the baby mermaid to stop her from playing with her hair and making noises that might anger her already angry brother even more.</p>
<p>She tries to smile awkwardly, 'Jungkook,' Yoongi speaks to the purple haired merman making everyone flinch and that is when the princess notices that the whole merfolk present around them have gone silent, not daring to move, for they might ire the 4th prince even more. She realizes she has made a grave mistake for her brother to get furious at her, for the first time.</p>
<p>Yoongi continues, 'kill that octopus, he woke me up from my slumber.'</p>
<p>There is a moment of silence before the princess blinks and cracks into a fit of laughter thanking the gods. She thought her little secret was about to get exposed if her hyungs kept demanding for it.</p>
<p>Now that she had her mini heart attack of getting exposed, she promised herself, she would never change into whatever she was changing in at midnight every night for a week and obey her father and her hyungs who had warned her to not do what she was doing for a week everyday, secretly, not knowing its consequences.</p>
<p>Her laughter dies out when she notices Yoongi who is looking at her with his furious eyes narrowed at her questioningly.</p>
<p>She looks back at Jungkook, the purple haired 7th prince, who looks a bit angry too.</p>
<p>'Answer the damn question, Lalisa!' Yoongi tries to remain calm. Lalisa, the mermaid princess, looks down at her palms. They hear someone scream when princess is about to say something.</p>
<p>'Aunt!' She recognizes the voice immediately and panics when the voice sounds like she is crying out for help. Her eyes go round alarmingly and she turns towards the direction of the voice.</p>
<p>Yoongi immediately goes off in the direction of the cry, not wasting any second and commanding his sister to stay where she is, 'stay right here,' swimming away swiftly.</p>
<p>Jungkook, before following his brother asks, 'Did you go beyond the shore Lalisa? On human land?'</p>
<p>All she does is nod and hears her brother swear when he has swum away from them, leaving the panicked princess with the baby.</p>
<p>She hears Yoongi curse, killing a shark. And she then knows it. She knows her aunt was caught by a shark. She just prays and prays for her aunt to be safe.</p>
<p>The moment both of the princes' are out of sight, she hears three sharks approaching them and all the mermaids- near about eight - start swimming in all possible directions and Lalisa has no time to think when they noticed them as she tears her way in opposite direction of the sharks and takes the baby mermaid by her side, holding her hand, and starts swimming off as fast as she could. The baby mermaid giggles, she looks back at the little mermaid and hopes she could save this innocent creature.</p>
<p>She shuts her eyes hard, when she hears a mermaid scream, the tightness in her heart increasing every second, fearing it was her friend who might have got caught by a shark. Her head might burst by the screams she hears crying out for help. She loathes herself for not being able to use her power to save her friends, for not being able of any help.</p>
<p>She feels something following her furiously and she clutches the baby closer to her and tries her best to swim faster, not wanting the little mermaid to look back or even get hurt. She feels a sharp prick just above her left fluke on her peduncle (a part at the end of the mermaid tail). She looks back, her eyes stinging at the pain her now injured tail is causing.</p>
<p>She is terrified after noticing how close they are to the sharks' mouth, its sharp pointed teeth trying to catch her into them. She holds the baby tighter to her chest, who is now crying, and moves her tail faster, wanting nothing else but the little mermaid to be safe.</p>
<p>She bumps into something, and opens her eyes when she feels her heart pound insanely fast and loud, ready to defend herself or even attack. She relaxes when she hears a familiar voice.</p>
<p>'Lalisa is with me. Safe.' She hears the 5th prince, Namjoon as soon as he throws his trident - a sharp weapon with three blades (a three-pronged spear) - at the shark that was following Lalisa, killing it.</p>
<p>She hears Yoongi curse in relief, and she takes the time in the blue haired merman, Namjoon's comfort to breathe. She looks up at her hyung, who is looking down at her worried and takes the baby mermaid from her hand. She is hesitant to let go at first, not because Namjoon might do something - she would never doubt her brother - but because the baby is scared. A pink haired merman comes from behind Namjoon, gently taking the little mermaid from Namjoon and looking down at it remorsefully.</p>
<p>'Aunt. Where is she?' Lalisa asks immediately dreading to know the answer, which she has already guessed, 'Jin hyung?' She looks at the pink haired merman with broad shoulders.</p>
<p>He shakes his head, not looking up and holds the crying baby in his arms, closer to his chest.</p>
<p>'Take me to her. I - I can heal her,' Lalisa turns to swim in the direction where she last herd Yoongi, who had went to save her aunt.</p>
<p>'She is dead!' Namjoon holds her arm to stop her from going there.</p>
<p>The mermaid princess has the power to heal creatures. She was told she could do a lot of things once she is in dire need of the power, but she can do nothing else other than healing  . She can't even fight like her brothers yet.</p>
<p>All she could do until now was heal. And there was no other day she had wished she could bring creatures back to life than today.</p>
<p>They hear a few more cries, 'What the fuck is going on? Where did they all come from?' Namjoon looks angry.</p>
<p>'Why don't we ask our Lalisa here?' This time it is the 1st prince, Choi Seung-hyun, who comes from behind Namjoon and glares at Lalisa.</p>
<p>The mermaid princess looks at him as if he has grown a second head.</p>
<p>How is she supposed to know why they are being attacked?</p>
<p>She had always disliked her eldest brother, who never cared about her. He didn't think much, and when he did, it was to dictate merfolk below his rank, that basically is everyone except the king.</p>
<p>'I hear you went to the land.' He raises his right brow and Namjoons' head snaps up at the princess, his eyes wide.</p>
<p>He no longer wastes any second after hearing that and swim off in the direction of the cries to help his merfolk. He tells Seokjin to stay with Lalisa.</p>
<p>After a few minutes, Seokjin finally manages to calm the cries of the baby and then signals Lalisa to follow him. Lalisa has a lots of questions in her mind but lets none of them out. After how Namjoon looked at her, she knows the sharks coming to hunt them in a group - which sharks usually don't - has something to do with her going to the land.</p>
<p>It all started a week ago.</p>
<p>She remembers stepping on the dry human land for the first time. She remembers how her colorful tail had changed into two pairs of what humans call legs, and she had felt creepy when the moon light shone on her tail then turned into legs. She had trusted the merman who had bought her to the human land, promising nothing would happen if she gives it a try. She had looked at the man uncertainly when he had given her a crooked smile. It felt wrong to come up here with him. She remembered her mother tell her to never go to the human land or else it might outrage her father, when she had asked her mother to let her go to the land after listening to her friends experience on land. She knew merfolk mate on land at midnight when it is a full moon. And she knew, one day or the other she had to go, but she was excited and wanted to go right then when her friends had. She had loved how they had dramatically told her how good it felt to see them self change.</p>
<p>Mermaids could go to the land and change into humans when they turn eighteen. And Lalisa was already nineteen.</p>
<p>She had kept it a secret from everyone, and had went secretly on the land the next day without the creepy merman, by herself. She has been going to the land for one week straight in a row now. But she didn't know something like this would happen.</p>
<p>How was she supposed to know anyway? No one ever told her that sharks would attack merfolk if she steps on land.</p>
<p>And now. She has even lost her aunt. She looks up at the little mermaid sleeping in Seokjins' arms and can't help but blame herself for her mothers death. She starts weeping. She had never wanted to do this. How did her so small mistake turn into this big? Will she ever be able to forgive herself?</p>
<p>She feels a warm figure embrace her and looks up at the pink haired merman comforting her.</p>
<p>'Take her away hyung!' She hears Yoongi and Jungkook yell in unison, who are no where to be seen around. She assumes they are still fighting the sharks off considering how the cries have yet not stopped. She prays for every one to be safe and specially her brothers who are trying to fight the sharks and save the merfolk.</p>
<p>They swim towards north where Ocra (killer whales) are. Sharks do not come near Ocras. Although Ocras have never tried killing merfolk, they cannot be trusted. But for now, that is the only place where sharks won't attack them.</p>
<p>Lalisa spots her mother between mermen guarding her. She hurries towards her, embracing her and finally letting her emotions out freely.</p>
<p>The mermaid queen makes no effort to comfort her daughter, trying to push her away. Even though the queen has always been harsh on Lalisa, she is her mother after all, she loves her mother anyway.</p>
<p>'What's the point of mourning now? It's all your -' The queen mother is interrupted my her son's voice.</p>
<p>'Mother.' Jungkook pleads, while coming in their direction.</p>
<p>Lalisa says nothing. Now she is certain it was because she had stepped on land. She has no idea how her stepping on land and sharks attacking them are related. But for now, she knows that is the reason.</p>
<p>'Proceed as planned.' Yoongi commands the warrior mermen, as soon as he reaches the place with few mermaids, who he has saved.</p>
<p>They all bow and turn towards south, where the land is, waiting for the queen.</p>
<p>'I wish I could come with you to ensure you had settled safely,' Jungkook tries to smile, 'But I assure we will join you soon after making sure every merman and mermaid is out of here safe.'</p>
<p>'Huh? Where am I going?' Lalisa asks confused.</p>
<p>'To the land. For now. We won't be able to handle all the sharks alone. We will need help.' Jin replies.</p>
<p>'B-but, I am not allowed to step on the land?' She asks confused even more. She thought whatever happened today was because of her stepping on the land. But now, she was being told to settle on land for safety purpose?</p>
<p>'The spell is already broken. What's the point now? Don't wast our time and follow us.' The queen commands.</p>
<p>'Spell?' She looks up at her Jungkook hyung to answer her and he just smiles.</p>
<p>'Go.' Jungkook smiles.</p>
<p>Yoongi comes near her, patting her head while Seokjin gently squeezes her arm. She takes the baby mermaid from her Jin hyung, 'What is happening here?'</p>
<p>She is not able to ask any further questions neither gets any answer when the queen grabs her arm and starts swimming, the warrior mermen following behind.</p>
<p>'W-what about other merpeople?' She asks as soon as the queen leaves her, 'If merpeople are in danger, why are only I, you and three guards going to the land for safety? Where is father?'</p>
<p>'Shut your voice Lalisa! This would have never happened if you would have listened to us! Look what you did to our people! They are dying! But all your father cares about is YOUR safety!' The queen stops abruptly glaring at her daughter, trying her best to not let the guards hear her.</p>
<p>Lalisa stares at her mother wide eyed. She knew it. She knew whatever that is happening is her  fault. But now hearing it out loud makes it even more painful.</p>
<p>'Your father and brothers will rescue every single mermaid and merman, who isn't dead yet. And they will eventually come to land too. Now shut up and follow me.' Queen starts swimming.</p>
<p>The baby mermaid starts crying again and the queen stops suddenly again.</p>
<p>'What were you thinking when you bought her with you?' The queen is about to loose her shit, 'You know she can't turn right?'  She looks at one of the guards signalling them to take her away and Lalisa protests immediately swimming away.</p>
<p>'Hand her over Lalisa! We are trying to save you here!' Queen glares at her daughter.</p>
<p>She can't. She knows her mother too well. The queen was the one to murder her uncle who was the baby mermaids' father. She does not know why. But she saw it. And she couldn't tell anyone. How could she? She is her mother after all. She knew they would either kill the baby or leave her behind to become the sharks pray. But she had promised her aunt she would take care of her daughter.</p>
<p>'If she can't turn, doesn't mean she can't come along with us. If she doesn't go, I won't go.' She threatens the guards to come any closer and the queen has no other choice other than rolling her eyes and letting her be.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She prays for her father and her hyungs safety. She prays for the merpeople too.</p>
<p>When they finally reach the land, there is no human around and a mermaid and merman are already waiting for their arrival. Queen throws a shawl in her direction that was given to her by the red haired mermaid waiting for them, dressed like humans, and tells her to cover herself. She does as told and covers the baby too, who is still in the mermaid form.</p>
<p>Young mermaids cannot change into humans, but they can breathe on land.</p>
<p>She then looks up to take in her surroundings. It looks different. She had been coming to land at midnight, today it's daytime. And it looks beautiful. All she sees is trees, water meeting land and a big cave in front of them. Yet she thinks of it to be beautiful.</p>
<p>They notice humans coming their way from far and the mermen point in the direction of the cave for them to enter.</p>
<p>It is dark inside, but she can see everyone clearly.</p>
<p>Lalisa looks around when the red haired mermaid gives her same fabrics like the shawl and the queen tells her to wear it. She looks around to find a tub of water and puts the baby in it after wearing the clothes.</p>
<p>She watches her mother actually talk, just like how humans do, making sounds from her mouth, with the red haired mermaid. She suspects, every mermaid or merman present here can talk. Except her. And the baby, sure thing.</p>
<p>She is told they will spend the night here and go to a near by town in the morning by the red haired mermaid. She finally takes in her appearance. The red haired mermaid is wearing a long blue and white colored attire that looks beautiful on her.</p>
<p>She looks down at herself, and touches her clothes that are light pink and cream colored.</p>
<p>'How long will it take for the merfolk to come? And until when are we staying on land?' Lalisa thinks quietly so that the queen won't hear.</p>
<p>'Not sure. Days. Maybe even months?' Red haired mermaid replies, 'I have being living on land for quite long now. It is good here. You need not worry.' She says despite Lalisa not asking.</p>
<p>Lalisa smile instead and prays yet again for her peoples' safety. Blaming herself won't help her or them anyway.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Meanwhile in a town nearby ;</p>
<p>"Stop whining Kim Taehyung!" A man in his twenties nudges the younger one sitting beside him, "I can't believe, we are meeting after three years and you are still a baby."</p>
<p>"Hey! I kill more enemies at war than you! I can even succeed you general." The youngest prince, Kim Taehyung teases his friend, Hoseok.</p>
<p>"As if," Hoseok rolls his eyes and laughs lightly.</p>
<p>They have been friends for as long as Taehyung can remember. Even if Hoseok was his fathers' subject, he was his friend first.</p>
<p>"Hyung?" Taehyung looks at the sea in front of him firmly.</p>
<p>"Yes?" Hoseok moves his eyes away from the sea to look at his friend.</p>
<p>"The villagers here say," he stops mid-sentence and thinks for a while, and Hoseok starts thinking Taehyung has to say something very important, "do you believe mermaids are real hyung?"</p>
<p>Hoseok looks at his friend baffled. He contemplates whether smacking His Excellency on his head in front of so many guards behind them, near the horses, would be a crime?</p>
<p>He laughs instead at Taehyungs' bonny face.</p>
<p>"Get up. We have had enough rest." Hoseok says instead and they start making their way towards the horses waiting for them.</p>
<p>Their have been rumors recently that a mermaid comes near the shores every midnight in this village. Hoseok shakes his head in disbelief.</p>
<p>Taehyung was ordered by His Majesty to investigate a few towns in this side of the empire where thefts, murder and all sorts of crimes had increased. Hoseok had just come from a war at the border, and when Taehyng was ordered to go this far from palace, Hoseok - who was king's general - voluntarily agreed to join the young prince. It took them two whole days to reach this side of the empire on their horses. And with Taehyung being such a baby, they had to stop every time for anything that caught the young princes' eye.</p>
<p>This time, it was the sea.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The queen was least interested when the red haired mermaid, whose name she had told was Rose, told her she wanted to show Lalisa a place she would like in the village. They had come to a village, where rose lived, her house bigger than the other humans house.</p>
<p>So now, they were standing in the middle of - Lalisa didn't know where, but there were a lot of trees around. Plants that reached her waist surrounded her. She knew what a tree looked like, but here she saw a lot of them in different shapes and heights and few even had colorful things on them.</p>
<p>Indeed, she loved the place. It was beautiful.</p>
<p>"This is called a farm. Humans grow different plants and fruits here to eat." Rose says touching a plant.</p>
<p>"Humans eat this? But this is beautiful." Rose laughs at Lalisa.</p>
<p>It's been two days since the attack of the sharks in the sea and she had heard about merfolk coming on land but her father and brothers still haven't come. She knows they are safe and will go to land only when they ensure that every merfolk is on land and is safe, but that can't stop her from worrying.</p>
<p>"Come on, there's lot more I've got to show you." Rose says excitedly holding her hand and dragging her in the direction of the biggest tree in the farm.</p>
<p>Lalisa had been learning to make voices like humans. Being a mermaid, it was easy for her to start understanding the language within just two days. Now all she needs to do is speak clearly. Her words come out slurred, but Rose had assured her she would learn it in no time.</p>
<p>She freezes when she notices a mop of blond hair wearing cream colored clothes, at a distance. That's definitely not a merman.</p>
<p>A human.</p>
<p>She remembers her hyungs telling her to stay away from humans. She did not see any human while coming to the farm. And when they were here on land, she had remained in one of the rooms in Rose's house. But now, there was this human, dancing around the farm too close to her. He was not actually close, his back was facing them and he was at least fifty feet away from them, but again, that is the closest Lalisa has been to a human in these two days. And it made her feel uncomfortable.</p>
<p>"What's wrong?" Rose turns to ask and notices Lalisa staring at the blonde haired man. "Jimin!" Rose yells excitedly, startling Lalisa, waving her hand like a maniac at the man Lalisa was staring. The figure turns around and smiles as soon as he notices Rose.</p>
<p>Lalisa looks at the mermaid as if she had lost her mind and grips the fabric of her own red colored hanbok she is wearing today.</p>
<p>The blonde haired man makes his way towards the two mermaids and Lalisa can't help but take a step back. There's no way she is going to disobey her hyungs after witnessing what had happened the first time she did it - her whole kind is in danger.</p>
<p>Rose looks back at Lalisa assuring her he was a friend.</p>
<p>"Hey." The man chirps as soon as he reaches close enough for Lalisa to stretch her hand out and lean a bit more towards him to slap him (She doesn't actually slap him). She doesn't try to move, watching his every move suspiciously. </p>
<p>He is holding something which does not at all looks like a weapon. But humans can't be trusted.</p>
<p>Jimin looks uncomfortable when he notices Lalisa checking him out - that's what he thinks she is doing. Although Lalisa is beautiful, he does not want any woman giving him that kind of attention. He looks at Rose trying his best to not let his smile look forced, however she notices and looks at Lalisa who in turn looks away. To Jimin, it looked as if the new girl with Rose already knew what Rose had to tell.</p>
<p>Little did he know, the girls were actually mermaids - the creatures he had hated since he was little, and could communicate telepathically.</p>
<p>"Meet Lalisa, Jimin. My cousin." Rose introduces smiling ear to ear, and Jimin can't help but get even more embarrassed, "I bought her here to show her around. I wanted to show her the most beautiful farm of this village."</p>
<p>Jimin laughs at this, and turns to go near the tree Rose was heading before spotting him, Rose follows him and he doesn't miss how Lalisa hesitates before following them, "Did you even try to look around at other farms Rose?" He says knowing Rose has never been to any other farms before and his is the only one she visits.</p>
<p>"No. But that is because I already know yours is more beautiful," She sings.</p>
<p>They reach the big tree and Jimin sits under it's cool shade relaxing his muscles, his mind falls in peace immediately. He places the pot full of red persimmons in front of Rose who is now sitting beside him, smiling like a hungry little kid at the persimmons.</p>
<p>He glances up at Lalisa who is still standing and looks like is having an internal battle. He smiles at her warmly to which she can't help but smile back and sit beside Rose.</p>
<p>Jimin rolls his eyes at Rose who has already started eating the fruit and haven't asked her cousin about it.</p>
<p>"Here," he holds the pot up so that Lalisa could take one, but she just stares at the pot in his hand and back at him.</p>
<p>Rose immediately takes one persimmon out of the pot placing it in Lalisa's hand on her lap, 'Humans eat this. Try it.' Rose thinks, which only Lalisa can hear and Jimin being a human can't.</p>
<p>All that Lalisa had eaten until now were different kinds of fish. And it feels freakish to eat something else other than fish. She musters up the courage to try it after looking at Rose, who is enjoying eating the fruit. The fruit melts into her mouth and she feels the sweet taste to be heavenly. She had never tasted something like that before in the sea. And she likes it.</p>
<p>Lalisa looks around her. The wind sweeps the lock of hair away from her face, making her feel oddly calm in this unknown place. The listens to the creatures on the tree chirp flying around and even sitting on the ground from time to time. She tries to make a sound like the flying creatures and it is loud enough to startle Jimin. Rose coughs on her fruit looking sheepishly at Jimin.</p>
<p>It's hardly been ten minutes and Jimin already finds Lalisa weird, just like how he had thought of Rose to be strange when he  first met her an year ago at the shore. Later that day he also met Jackson, Roses' husband whom he found equally uncanny. Guess the whole family is strange, he thinks and smiles to himself.</p>
<p>They eat in perfect silence, with Jimin trying his best to control the laughter that threatens to spill from his lips whenever he notices Lalisa doing anything unnatural and stopping abruptly the moment Rose turns to look at her, as if they could read each others mind. How sweet of the two sisters to know what the other has to say just by looking at each other, Jimin thinks.</p>
<p>Usually, Rose would always blabber about the things going around in the village, like how her neighbours fought, or if there was any fight between any village wrestler and the soldier of the king, or how Jackson caught a lot of fishes at the sea, or how the soldiers misbehaved with the helpless people and all sorts of news. Jimin loved eating fish, so she would always come with fish for him. But today, she had got nothing for him, neither the fish, nor any news. She was quite today.</p>
<p>He does not question her about anything knowing she had been busy from past two days. She had told him she would be, three days ago.</p>
<p>"Hey Jimin-ah, where's the flying stick?" Rose asks suddenly.</p>
<p>"Swing. The swing." Jimin corrects her for the umpteenth time now. He had told her before it was called a swing, but she was hell bent on calling it a flying stick. He had even given up on correcting her, but he did not want even her sister to start calling it a flying stick so he had to force himself to correct her one last time.</p>
<p>"Where is it?" She ignores him and gets up to look around.</p>
<p>"I took it down yesterday." He says.</p>
<p>"Why?" Rose shrieks, and Lalisa gets up to move away from her.</p>
<p>Jimin rolls his eyes, praying his eye balls won't get stuck there by the amount of times he has to do it in presence of Rose.</p>
<p>He goes inside his small house which is in the middle of the farm, ignoring Rose and comes out with ropes and a board broad enough for anyone to sit comfortably on.</p>
<p>Lalisa watches him curiously, making sure to look away whenever he looks anywhere near her direction. She watches Jimin climb up the tree and tie the ropes on one of it's strongest branches, and then coming down to tie the other loose ends of the ropes hanging down to the board which has two holes at each of it's side.</p>
<p>Jimin stands beside the swing looking at his work proudly, smiling brightly at Rose. Lalisa looks at Jimin and something black behind Jimin catches her eye.</p>
<p>Another human.</p>
<p>This time, she just looks into the human-in-all black's eyes. His eyes twinkling as soon as she notices them. Even though he is far away and his figure looks as small as Jimin's little finger, Lalisa can clearly see him and his twinkling green eyes, which is not possible for a normal human.</p>
<p>She gets no time to protest or question Rose about the green eyed human standing far away and staring at them, when Rose excitedly makes her sit on the swing and tells her to hold the ropes at her sides tightly.</p>
<p>She looks confused, the green eyed man forgotten, and then she shrieks as soon as Rose pushes the swing from behind her, Jimin laughing at the side. She feels her hair flow as the wind hits her face gently, making her feel terrific. She eventually starts laughing and that is when Jimin realizes she had not uttered a word since they met and her voice was beautiful. He smiles proudly for finally making his new friend feel comfortable around him.</p>
<p>Lalisa lets her head hang so that she could see Rose behind her, upside down, and her hair touching the ground below. Her grip tightens around the ropes and she feels ecstatic, wanting to go higher in the air.</p>
<p>This feels better than what it felt like jumping in the sea where she played with her friends. She makes a mental note to bring all of her friends to Jimin's farm once they come to land and visit her.</p>
<p>She will definitely be visiting this piece of land often if she is staying on the land any longer.</p>
<p>The force of the swing lessens and she watches Jimin hanging another swing on a different branch for Rose. Rose sprints in it's direction and Lalisa pouts, but to her surprise and delight both, Jimin comes from behind her to push her swing and her laughter fills the farm again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Meanwhile in the same village,</p>
<p>"Ya, hyung?" Taehyung calls out to Hoseok, riding his horse closer to Hoseoks', "How many more villages and towns do we have to inspect?"</p>
<p>"Five villages, three towns." Hoseok sighs and Taehyung makes a disgruntled voice, "Tired already?" Hoseok asks.</p>
<p>Taehyung chooses not to answer. They have been to four villages and one town already and had caught only seven men involved in murders and thefts. That wasn't something a prince should do personally but his father wanted him to learn something and he didn't even knew what. The crimes happening in this part had increased and not stopped even when they had executed one of the murderer in public as a warning for others.</p>
<p>They had just arrived in this village and they are supposed to take a route from between the farms. And rest in one.</p>
<p>Taehyung notices something red flowing and turns his head to left to see it clearly. He makes his horse stop abruptly and the soldiers behind him stop as well. He jumps down to walk near the farm.</p>
<p>"The farm we are supposed to stay at is not this." Hoseok says jumping down from his horse and placing a hand on Taehyung's shoulder.</p>
<p>"Hyung?" Taehyung turns to look at Hoseok expectantly, "Will you please take the soldiers to the farm? I will join you guys in no time."</p>
<p>Hoseok looks hesitant at first but lets the prince be and commands the soldiers to follow him. he glances back at Taehyung before leaving him and notices him staring at a lady in the farm they are passing by. He shakes his head chuckling and goes ahead.</p>
<p>Taehyung looks at the girl in red hanbok and can't help the smile that decorates his face. Although he couldn't see her properly from that distance, he could tell she is beautiful. His smile grows wider when she looks at him for a mere second. He grabs the strap of belt hanging around his horse and starts walking slowly towards her direction, watching her play on the swing. He gets close enough to make out her face clearly, her snowy white skin and rosy cheeks looking as soft as they would feel against the touch of his fingers.</p>
<p>Taehyung doesn't miss the slight change of color in her brown hair. But how could that be possible? He ignores it, thinking he is just seeing things.</p>
<p>Looks like he got something to do in his free time in this village. He laughs lightly when she laughs and suddenly thinks of himself as a fool.</p>
<p>The trio, other two he hadn't noticed, starts making their way in the opposite direction of his and he follows silently, walking behind them at a distance no one would suspect, with his black horse still behind him.</p>
<p>He realizes they are going in the direction of the market and immediately climbs up the horse taking off in the direction where they were going to stay in the village.</p>
<p>"Hyung! Heading to the market! Joining me?" Taehyung yells not stopping his horse and letting Hoseok know where he is going while passing from in front of the house they will be staying in for two days.</p>
<p>Hoseok wastes no second and jumps on his horse following Taehyung's before it disappears. They reach the market and Taehyung winks at Hoseok.</p>
<p>"Now what are you playing at here? You definitely never look this excited when we have to catch an outlaw," Hoseok asks.</p>
<p>"We need to buy clohes." Taehyung grins showing off his perfect set of teeth.</p>
<p>Hoseok looks down at his clothes furrowing his brows and gets no chance to ask questions when Taehyung rushes to the nearest shop dodging every human on his way. Hoseok closes his mouth that had opened to ask why they were shopping here and starts following His Excellency before he gets lost in this sea of people. He bumps into few shoulders on his way but never takes his eyes off Taehyung. They enter a small shop and Taehyung buys two pairs of everything he is buying. He asks the person if they could change their clothes there and hurries to change the moment he nods. He come out and pushes Hoseok in to get changed into the clothes he had just bought.</p>
<p>"Why me?" Hoseok protests.</p>
<p>"Just go Hyung, we don't have much time." He whisper yells and Hoseok obeys.</p>
<p>Few minutes later Hoseok finds himself standing behind a stall, with a poker face, selling ornaments. Not to forget, fake ones. Well of course fake. Who would sell real ones in a crowded place like this. Taehyung had paid a fortune to the actual seller to let them sell his ornaments for the time being and Hoseok still did not know why he had to do this.</p>
<p>"Forgive me Your Excellency, but may I know what we are doing here?" Hoseok mocks.</p>
<p>"Selling ornaments." Taehyung laughs and Hoseok scowls, "You will see." He adds later.</p>
<p>Taehyung suddenly straightens looking ahead at the girl in red hanbok he saw in the farm and smiles. Hoseok looks at her and tries his best not to slap himself.</p>
<p>They are going to mortify themselves, he thinks and bits his lower lip watching Taehyung doing his best to grab the girl's attention towards his ornaments. He tries not to laugh at his failed attempts.</p>
<p>They watch the trio looking at scarfs and the red haired girl buys a cream colored scarf and hands it over to the brown haired girl, who then covers her hair with it, much to Taehyung's disappointment.</p>
<p>Taehyung finally manages to grab the red haired girl's attention and she comes their way with the girl and the boy with them following.</p>
<p>Taehyung tries to look calm, and fails miserably as he stares at the brown haired girl. Hoseok hastily starts throwing his hands around and showing the ornaments to the trio, trying to cover up for His Excellency.</p>
<p>Now that she was so close to him, just four feet away, he could see her properly.</p>
<p>She looks at him and furrows her brow, Taehyung prays she hadn't recognized him and when she says nothing, with her jade colored eyes staring into his green ones for four long seconds and looks away, Taehyung knows she didn't recognize him. However he wished she wouldn't have looked away. He notices her looking at one of the ornaments.</p>
<p>He picks it up to let her see it closely and she hesitates before taking it into her hands, not letting herself touch the human.</p>
<p>She examines the small circle shaped ornament in her palm with a small jade colored stone on it. She hands it back to the man who had given it to her and sees a bit of disappointment in his eyes. She looks away not able to look into his eyes again. She wonders if he is also a merman, for his skin, his face, his eyes, in fact his whole self is very beautiful to be a normal human. Even a merman as alluring as him is never seen in the sea.</p>
<p>"You like it?" Rose asks her.</p>
<p>She nods her head but refuses to buy, as she doesn't even know what it is and how it is used.</p>
<p>She feels someones eyes on her, she already knows who, but doesn't look his way. Trying to look instead at Rose and Jimin talking with another man who Lalisa notices has got the most warm and welcoming smile she has ever seen. Rose ends up buying one ornament and Lalisa eventually looks at the green eyed man she is sure she saw at the farm, and notices a hint of smile coming back to his features making it difficult for her to tear away her gaze.</p>
<p>She feels Rose holding her hand and starts walking, letting Rose lead her the way.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Taehyung watches her disappear into the crowd, a hint of smile still playing on his lips.</p>
<p>"Don't you think you went a bit far with this one?" Hoseok asks, making their way to their horses.</p>
<p>The prince shakes his head, "You know me well hyung. If I am staying at the village for two or maybe even three long days, then I must do something to pass the time."</p>
<p>Hoseok looks unconvinced and even Taehyung knows it. He had just wanted to look at her from a bit closer. The pretext did not sound persuading enough even to his own ears.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Did you like the market Lalisa?" Jimin asks and she just nods.</p>
<p>Jimin sighs, because all that Lalisa's been doing till now is nod or shake her head to anything he asks or sometimes Rose answers on her behalf. By now he would have started to believe she was a mute for he hadn't heard her laugh on the swings.</p>
<p>But at least she liked the market. She even seemed to enjoy watching new things that were only available in this village.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Although she had not wanted to come to such a crowded place full of humans, she also could not deny Rose and Jimin who looked excited about it. She just made sure to stay alert and near her friends.</p>
<p>Lalisa feels eyes on her. Not the ones that were before, childlike that had no intention to harm her. It is someone else. She knows she isn't in the sea anymore and she can't harm any human just because she wanted to. She is not supposed to use her powers unless she is in danger.</p>
<p>She stops dead in her tracks when she hears, 'The princess, eh?', and the voice of the thought is eerily clear and familiar. Her head snaps up in the direction of the voice that had manipulated her to take her to land, and there he is, standing with a bunch of humans, looking straight at her. He was the same merman who had taken her to the land for the first time. Her brothers have being searching the merman in the sea and here he was on the land!</p>
<p>His powers are nothing compared to hers and she knows he cannot harm her physically. What she is afraid of, is him being some lunatic who might have shaken hands with the shark lord, who had attacked them and might reveal to him were all the merpeople were. Well it would be no surprise if the shark lord already knows they are hiding on the land but where exactly, she hopes he has no clue.</p>
<p>The shark lord is cruel and won't even spare humans. She doesn't wants any more creatures to get hurt anymore. Specially her new friend, who has been nothing but kind and good to her. She gives the merman a warning glare and hopes he pulls nothing such. She will have to inform her hyungs about the merman. She makes a note to herself to tell one of the guard merman with them at Roses' house to convey the message to her brothers.</p>
<p>"What else do you want to show your sister?" Jimin asks smiling, "We can go to the shore."</p>
<p>"Um, it's quite late now. The qu - " Rose stops and covers herself fast enough for Jimin to notice, "Lalisa's mother might be waiting." She says instead.</p>
<p>Jimin realizes there's no one that would be waiting for him at his home and smiles sadly. He lives all alone since he was young. "Oh." Is all he says and looks away. He loves Rose and Jackson's company. He has no other friend than the duo in the village and now Lalisa, who he did not know how long was staying in the village. Rose had told him they were visiting her. "How long will you be here?" He asks and Lalisa just shrugs, indicating even she doesn't know.</p>
<p>"Oh, as long as I want them to stay with me." Rose says laughing and Jimin feels like if next time Lalisa doesn't speak he would have to ask if she was mute or couldn't speak and just laugh? He wonders if he is such a terrible friend to be with?</p>
<p>Jimin comes back home to find it empty as always and flops on his bed wondering if he would ever meet a man and have a family. Yes, a man. That could be counted as a reason for not having any friends.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The mermaid princess had sent the word with the messenger to her brothers about the merman she had seen the day before. But she hadn't expected them to come so soon.</p>
<p>She found herself embracing her hyung tightly, her face hidden in his chest and body in the safety of his arms.</p>
<p>It's been three days.</p>
<p>Three long days.</p>
<p>She had missed her Jungkook hyung. She was worried about them. She had cried her eyes out when she saw a fading scar on jungkook's arm.</p>
<p>Mermaids and mermen healed fast, but she couldn't push away the thought of her hyung getting injured because of her foolishness.</p>
<p>'I am fine Lisa,' Jungkook cooes into her ears, gently patting her on the back, 'Lisa I've got - like - twenty pearls here.' He says making Lalisa laugh lightly.</p>
<p>He stops a drop of tear rolling down her right cheek, watching it turn into a pearl onto his palm.</p>
<p>'Where is father? And the hyungs?' Lalisa asks moving away slightly and frowning.</p>
<p>'Ain't I enough to find and punish that bastard?' Jungkook teases.</p>
<p>'Of course you are!' The queen enters the house - who had gone out, pushing Lalisa away and taking Jungkook's face in her hands. 'Oh!' She frowns, 'My child,' She glares at Lalisa standing beside them, as if accusing her for Jungkook's injury.</p>
<p>Jungkook rolls his eyes, for his little scratch was getting so much attention. He wonders what makes his mother dislike Lalisa so much? After all, she is her child too. And Lalisa has always been a well behaved princess. She cared about their mother albeit her getting chastised without exception. Now it's as if Lalisa is used to her mother's such behaviour toward her</p>
<p> </p>
<p>After Lalisa told him how the scoundrel looked like and the exchange between them, Jungkook just knew who she was talking about.</p>
<p>Kim Jae Wook.</p>
<p>That good-for-nothing whoreson!</p>
<p>It's because of him that he had almost lost one of his brothers. He couldn't tell Lalisa about it. That was the reason the hyungs stayed behind.</p>
<p>Jungkook has come to the market where Lalisa had told him she saw Kim Jae Wook. He is not expecting him to be here, but it is always better to be safe than sorry.</p>
<p>He saunters around the market, his tranquil gaze searching for Wook, not letting his wrath out. He stumbles into a figure, but disregards it. He feels someone hold his arm, someone as strong as him, Jungkook notes and decides against attacking someone who dared to touch him.</p>
<p>He shrugs the hand off him, turning to face a man in all black, long hair tied neatly, and he recognizes him immediately. He curses himself for letting someone like him know he was on the land. He should have paid attention.</p>
<p>"Apologize." A figure behind him commands and Jungkook takes no notice of him, looking straight at the prince.</p>
<p>Although they might not know who he was, but Jungkook knew better than to mess with the prince of the land. He had been to land before, multiple times. And he knew the prince executed sinners publicly, if he suspected them even a bit. He showed no mercy for the outlaws.</p>
<p>And he knew he was being suspected.</p>
<p>The figure behind the prince of land moves but is immediately stopped by the prince.</p>
<p>"Isn't he a pretty boy hyung?" The prince asks looking at Jungkook, smiling his rectangular smile, "Let's do away with him after I play a bit with him."</p>
<p>As anticipated of Kim Taehyung. He would undeniably play with him. And why not? Isn't this what he is known for?</p>
<p>Jungkook grits his teeth for getting such a treatment, being a prince. No one has ever dared to spit words as such in front of him.</p>
<p>Not yet. He can't let his cover blow till he finds that bastard. Not now. He has to find the scoundrel and punish him.</p>
<p>"I am sorry." He forces out, not letting his pride in.</p>
<p>As much as he wants to hit them all, he knows he shouldn't. They are doing their duty. He was certainly going to get questioned for looking so out of place. He is wearing Jackson's clothes which was his father's uniform when he was a guard at the palace. These were not used now-a-days.</p>
<p>He tries to restrain himself for his wrath might cause humans as well as his merpeople on land to suffer.</p>
<p>Before the prince could make any snide remark, a shrill voice catches their attention. </p>
<p>The prince signals his men to head in the direction of the cry, giving Jungkook one last look.</p>
<p>Jungkook furrows his brow and follows the prince, silently, curiosity getting the best of him. If there is even a slight chance of Kim Jae Wook being the reason of the woman's cry they just heard, he must find out.</p>
<p>Jungkook clenches his teeth as soon as his eyes lay on the woman lying dead in the middle of the market, blood covering her face and neck with deep cuts around her neck which he could tell where made by teeth - merman teeth, while her face chiseled with sharp merman nails, making it nearly impossible to make out her face, humans surrounding her, whispering to each other.</p>
<p>Even if he couldn't recognize who she was, he clearly knew it was a mermaid. He could identify his kind easily. He shuts his eyes tightly, cursing himself for not being able to protect his merpeople even on land!</p>
<p>'I swear Wook!' He screams internally for any mermaid or merman present in the market to hear, knowing if Wook did this, he would still be in the market and would hear his threat, 'I will find you and trust me I will fucking cut you into pieces and kill you!'</p>
<p>Prince's men arrive in no time and surround the people encircling the dead woman so that no one can get out of the market without being checked and questioned. Jungkook internally facepalms himself for he won't be able to capture Wook if he is anywhere in the market and tries to escape.</p>
<p>"Who did this?" An enraged voice asks and Jungkook can clearly tell how the voice is trying not to scream and just punish everyone present in the market.</p>
<p>Silence.</p>
<p>"Your highness, the wounds are not fresh, looks like someone has tortured her and had left her here when she died." A human who was examining the body informs the prince. Although his voice is low, the silence created is so dreadful that everyone nearby can listen to what he just said, and Jungkook being a merman could clearly hear being at a distance.</p>
<p>If she had died already, it was not her who screamed, thinks Taehyung, "Who was here?" Taehyung asks, loud and clear for everyone gathered around to hear, pointing at a stall nearest to the dead woman.</p>
<p>A woman in her fifties stumbles forward and mutters a weak response.</p>
<p>The prince lets himself to soften a bit while approaching the lady so that she won't tremble as much as she is trembling now, and answer his questions clearly.</p>
<p>"Ajumma," Taehyung begins in a normal voice, "Was it you who screamed?" The old lady nods while a trembled 'yes' spills from her lips.</p>
<p>"Did you see who left her here?" He asks.</p>
<p>"H-her body," She pauses to breathe. Jungkook notices she is not scared of the murder as much as is scared because of the prince's proximity. Who wouldn't be? If Kim Taehyung suspected you, you'd be executed anytime he wished, "Someone threw it from there," She breathes out pointing towards an opening at the top of a hanok.</p>
<p>(Hanok is a traditional Korean house)</p>
<p>"I," she continues, "was not able to see his face, he was dressed in old black clothes."</p>
<p>The prince signals his men to what Jungkook can tell, is inspect everyone. He soon realizes Taehyung's men are only taking men dressed in black out of the crowd. He looks down at his clothes and groans.</p>
<p>Soon he finds himself being taken out of the crowd and he cooperates.</p>
<p>The prince takes out his sword and strides over to the men dressed in black, taken out of the crowd by the soldiers. He places his sword on the shoulder of the first man he sees and asks the old lady if it was him, "Ajumma? Tell me when my sword finds the right one."</p>
<p>The old woman shakes her head, indicating it was not him. Kim Taehyung places his sword on all the men one by one and ajumma shakes her head everytime.</p>
<p>He finally places his sword on Jungkook's shoulder, without looking at him.</p>
<p>"H-he was dressed like that," The old woman stutters.</p>
<p>What?</p>
<p>Jungkook's head snaps up just when Taehyung notices who he has placed his sword on. Taehyung looks at him as if not believing what the ajumma just said. Well, how was he supposed to, when the man he has placed his sword on, was in front of him when they heard the cry?</p>
<p>"But that's not him." She continues, "h-he looked taller."</p>
<p>"Who else saw her falling down?" Taehyung swirls round with his sword swinging, pointing threateningly at another stall.</p>
<p>A little boy squeezes himself out of the crowd, "I saw him! He ran that way." he points towards the hanok, "he pushed her and then ran very fast from above the roof and then he jumped on that side." he says, his little hands moving in a dramatic way to explain the prince what he had witnessed.</p>
<p>Jungkook's eyes widen in realization and he turns around and takes off as fast as his feet could take him to Rose's house where Lalisa and his mother are.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He sighs in relief watching Lalisa playing with the baby mermaid, whose mother was the first one to get killed by the sharks and Lalisa had decided to take the baby with her to the land.</p>
<p>He regrets for not being able to save the baby mermaid's mother. But promises himself he will protect the baby mermaid.</p>
<p>He has to admit, his sister is strong-willed and is handling the situation well. He had expected her to eat herself from inside out by blaming herself for the situation. But she is doing fine. She knows, the least she could do to help merpeople now, is by keeping herself out of danger and not worrying her hyungs or their father.</p>
<p>He sighs, and knows, if that scoundrel comes anywhere near her, she could easily take care of him.</p>
<p>After seeing his mother and Lalisa, he walks back out of the door without letting them notice and wanders around, thinking how everything had changed in past few days. How his merpeople had to suffer in sea and as well as land. How he had almost lost his Sehun hyung, the 6th prince of the sea, and how their life is constantly in danger. He has been fighting. He has to protect his kind. Today's event has disturbed him. He could have saved the mermaid. If only he had apologized the prince instead of staring at him as if challenging him.</p>
<p>"Watch out!" Someone from behind grabs his arm, holding him back, before he steps on the axe laying on the ground, unknowingly.</p>
<p>He looks around to find a man of short stature,  inches apart from his face, his brows furrowed in concern, golden locks of hair covering the ends of his slightly wide eyes, and his pout lips below his little nose forming an 'o'.</p>
<p>Jungkook blinks and pulls himself away in a flash, looking embarrassed where as the short man is away with the fairies.</p>
<p>The merman looks around himself clearing his throat, "I um, wher- where am I?" he asks without thinking.</p>
<p>"A farm?" The short man answers which sounds more like a question.</p>
<p>Jungkook facepalms himself internally for the second time today. Why would I ask that? He curses himself.</p>
<p>"Of course. I uh, that, I" He pauses and inhales sharply, "Sorry," he breaths out and somehow manages to embarrass himself even more. This is the first time in his life that Jeon Jungkook is stuttering and embarrassing himself. Why did the man have to get so close to him?</p>
<p>The short man laughs lightly making the other feel a little at ease and Jungkook smiles sheepishly.</p>
<p>"You mean thank you? For I saved your life," The man states dramatically, "And no one would have noticed the axe lying there." he finishes smiling.</p>
<p>"I was not, uh," Jungkook finds himself looking for correct words again.</p>
<p>"You were lost," The man makes it easy for Jungkook to say, "in your thoughts." and Jungkook nods, not trusting his own voice.</p>
<p>After a moment of awkward silence, Jungkook asks, "Do you always leave your farm open?" The merman bites his tongue for another dense words make their way out of his mouth.</p>
<p>"Well, de..pends." The man replies, not knowing how to respond to that question, raising his right eyebrow.</p>
<p>Jungkook breathes, not letting anything out of his mouth this time, looking anywhere but in the man's eyes. He turns awkwardly, not knowing whether he should say something before leaving or at least wave his hand or nod. The man breaks into a beautiful smile again making Jungkook look away and get as far away as he could from the man.</p>
<p>He had totally forgotten about Wook, his task incomplete.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Lalisa finds herself standing below the cool shade of the big tree in Jimin's farm again, this time smiling and not feeling out of place like the last time when she had visited.</p>
<p>Rose and Jimin had been discussing on where to go today. Lalisa noticed how Jimin was trying to be her friend. He was polite to her everytime he spoke to her. She felt guilty whenever he looked disappointed because of lack of her speech. But she can't be blamed.</p>
<p>She is trying to speak. Her words still come out slurred, but she is trying.</p>
<p>"I am telling you let's go to the shore. It's beautiful at this time," Jimin huffs. Rose looks at Lalisa's way hoping she is not paying attention and is busy enjoying on the swing. Lalisa pretends not to listen. She knows Rose is trying to avoid going to the shore because of her, "That is the best place you could show someone who has come from as far as Yuan." Jimin continues, his someone implying to Lalisa.</p>
<p>Rose had told Jimin that their guests were from Yuan. And he had been excited to show Lalisa around his village since it had many things Joseon was known for.</p>
<p>Lalisa smiles to herself. It is fun watching Rose and Jimin bicker like siblings. Guess not all humans are bad after all. Jimin is a good human. She likes him. When she goes back to the sea, she will remember him as a good memory on land. And if she starts spending her days in his farm everyday till the time they are on land, she might even miss him when she returns home - the sea.</p>
<p>"No. We can even - "</p>
<p>"Let's go to the shore." Lalisa cuts in. Her words hanging in the air, for Rose did not want to oppose the princess' wish. Jimin smiles widely at Lalisa and looks back at Rose teasingly. Lalisa smiles again at his child like behaviour and follows her excited friend to the shore, assuring Rose that she would be fine.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It indeed is beautiful. She tries to not let her hair color change. Even though she is wearing a scarf because it was getting difficult for her to pay attention to her hair every time her mood changed, she can't help but not let the color change. As the hair that the scarf cannot cover are still visible. She looks at the shade of the sky and the sea that meet together at the far end, in awe. She has had the pleasure of watching the sunset a very few times, as they nearly never came to the surface because of the human boats on the sea.</p>
<p>She smiles to herself, looking at the half drown sun, reflecting in the water, its rays tearing through the slightly purple sky, making her feel giddy and she finds herself going walking towards it, slowly. If it was not for Rose's voice, she would have unknowingly went into the sea.</p>
<p>Although Jackson was a fisherman, they did not live near the sea. So Lalisa was looking at her home after three days and it was long enough for her to miss it, even if the land was beautiful and she had a lot of new things to see and do everyday, the sea was her home anyway and she had spent eighteen years of her life in it.</p>
<p>I trust you father. And she smiles lightly again.</p>
<p>She sits down on the sand, making sure the water isn't touching her, and waits for Rose and Jimin to join her.</p>
<p>"What are you doing?" Jimin asks, looking at Lalisa playing with the sand.</p>
<p>"Making a fort!" Rose answers smiling, remembering how they used to do it deep down the sea.</p>
<p>She nods enthusiastically. Jimin looks at them questioningly. Making a fort? With sand? He wonders if it is something normal people do with their friends at the shore. He remembers never doing anything as such. But then again, he has never had friends to play with and had never come to the shore until recently.</p>
<p>Lalisa tugs at Jimin's hanbok, asking him to sit.</p>
<p>He watches them forming shapes with the sand and tries to imitate, failing miserably. Lalisa giggles looking at his pouting face.</p>
<p>Jimin ends up just watching Rose and Lalisa make the fort effortlessly, laughing and enjoying themselves. His work looking like cow dung.</p>
<p>The children of fishermen playing nearby watch them from distance. Rose waves at them signalling to come near. They run towards her, sitting down beside the fort looking at it in awe. Jimin writes something on the sand with his index finger, which Lalisa doesn't understands and they get up to head back.</p>
<p>Lalisa hears a soft 'who are you' at a distance and turns around to find a man standing near the fort they had made looking at her. His eyes widen when they meet hers and she smiles not aware of it herself.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kim Taehyung and his men had arrested a theif today. He couldn't help but let the thief go when he was told the thief had stolen food. He instead helped him with money and commanded him to get a job instead of stealing. He couldn't find the murderer though. The mystery was eating him from inside. Why did the woman had to die so brutally?</p>
<p>He had come to the shore to relax his mind and had had the pleasure of seeing the girl he saw at the farm again.</p>
<p>She looks beautiful. And Taehyung couldn't help but notice how beautiful her smile is.</p>
<p>He ogles her from some distance away, for he can't come up with any excuse to talk with her, or approach her. And he does not even want to scare her away. Hoseok hyung was right. There is something about this lady that had caught his attention that he falls silent every time he comes across her.</p>
<p>And he notices it again.</p>
<p>Her hair. Although she has covered them with a scarf, he can see a lock on her back uncovered. And he felt like the color slightly changed. Why do I keep seeing things like these? He wonders. He walks over to the sand fort she has made, looking at her back, going away from him. He does not follow.</p>
<p>His black hair flows on his forehead like the waves of the sea, the cool moist wind hitting his face, making him squint his eyes. The purple color of sky and orange of sun reflecting in the sea, as well as his beautifully curved face.</p>
<p>"Who are you?" He whispers, and she turns her head to look straight into his wide eyes, smiling.</p>
<p>That is the most beautiful smile he had ever witnessed.</p>
<p>He looks down at the fort she had made and reads the writing beside it, "Lalisa".</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Lalisa had not been able to understand why her heart had started to beat fast every time she imagined the green eyes she saw today at the shore. It was as if, the moment the green eyes flashed in her mind, her heart had decided to pump slightly faster than usual for a couple of seconds.</p>
<p>"I have heard the prince is in the town. He has been punishing scoundrels." Rose's voice takes Lalisa out of her questioning thoughts.</p>
<p>Jimin simply nods, leading the way to his farm.</p>
<p>"Have you ever seen him?" She asks next.</p>
<p>"It's the first time the prince is in this part of the empire. I don't think anyone has ever seen him except the merchants. No one would recognize him unless we see someone with a lot of soldiers." Jimin replies.</p>
<p>"Oh. Did you hear about the murder in the market? A woman was killed. They say she was tortured to death."</p>
<p>Jimin's eyebrows shoot up at this piece of information. Sure their village had witnessed thefts, but murder was something he never thought would happen in their vilage.</p>
<p>"Isn't is a bit skeptical? I mean, the prince comes to the village and two people are murdered already?"</p>
<p>"Two?" Jimin asks.</p>
<p>"Not sure about the second one," Rose shrugs, "Also, the king has sent the prince here to make him learn things, but I hear he is not the crown prince."</p>
<p>"So?" He asks confusingly.</p>
<p>"Well, the king has sent prince here to - what I guess is  - get to know the people and handle crimes and all the things soon to be king or the crown prince does. But the youngest prince is around, not the crown prince." Rose finishes her rant and Lalisa does not understand a word. She does not even mind asking. She keeps her mouth shut, following them, not uttering any word, listing to her friends.</p>
<p>"Where do you even get to know these things from?" Jimin questions.</p>
<p>Rose shrugs again, "But don't you think there's foul play somewhere? I mean, what if the prince himself is planning murders and catching the sinners just to prove his father he can handle situations?"</p>
<p>Jimin laughs at this and shakes his head, "Trust you to apply such stupid logic," Rose pouts and Jimin continues, "The king is a good human. He helps every person in need."</p>
<p>"And?"</p>
<p>"Well, I believe, if he is a good human, his son has to be one too."</p>
<p>Rose huffs, "And my logic was stupid." She mutters.</p>
<p>Lalisa giggles at the duo, and by now is sure are children in adult bodies.</p>
<p>Jimin looks back at her and smiles sheepishly. He had completely forgotten she was with them.</p>
<p>They reach his farm and Jimin notices the axe lying down on the same place he had left it. He remembers the man from before and how close he had been.</p>
<p>The thought of revealing his only three friends that he is into men had been going through his mind today all day. He did not know how they would react to that. And he is afraid he might have to start living alone again if he lets anyone know.</p>
<p>But true friends would support you anyway, right? he wonders but decides to not let it out for now.</p>
<p>Lalisa waves her hand in front of Jimin's face, and he looks up at them, his brows raised.</p>
<p>"I said, we are leaving." Rose looks concerned, "Are you alright?"</p>
<p>"Oh. Yes." Jimin smiles reassuringly.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Your Highness!" One of Taehyung's men, comes from behind him, panting. He had left his horse at their farm house and had been so thrilled to convey his message that he came running to the shore to find His Excellency.</p><p>Taehyung turns around and swings him arm to put it around the half bent soldier's neck, "What's wrong Luhan? Did anyone mess with you?" He asks smiling.</p><p>The soldier, Luhan, shakes his head and speaks after few moments, "The ship," Luhan bends and places his palms on his knees and stands straight again, "we had sent to Wakoku, is broken."</p><p>"Broken? You mean attacked? Ah, must be the pirates again. Father has got a lot of work to do now." Taehyung sighs, not interested.</p><p>"No, no. They were not attacked by the pirates," Luhan shakes his head, "they say," he pauses for a second and puts emphasis on 'they', "they say, it was a mermaid."</p><p>Silence.</p><p>Taehyung makes a poker face and starts walking away from him, "Luhan, when I say you are my favorite boy among all the men I have, it does not mean I can't cut your head off for fooling around with me."</p><p>"Your Highness," Luhan follows behind, "no pirate ship was around, and, we had sent two ships, among which only one is broken, and the people and merchants in it dead, while the other was left at mercy only to witness everything!"</p><p>"Only the King entertains such things. What have you got next? Is he going out there in the sea to find mermaids?" Taehyung laughs playfully, shaking his head. His father, although wise, always falls for such things.</p><p>They walk in silence beside the sea, a faint peaceful smile playing on Taehyung's lips. He looks down to kick a pebble and Luhan clears his throat to speak again.</p><p>After a moment of contemplating whether to ruin His Excellency's mood or not, he decides to tell His Excellency about the task he had been given by the king, now, rather than letting him know by the King's men.</p><p>"His Majesty wants you to look into the matter."</p><p>Taehyung stops dead in his track.</p><p>Luhan looks at his movements closely knowing what exactly Taehyung might do now.</p><p>"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa," after a few moments of child like cry, "I am tired already!" Taehyung whines and Luhan snikers, expecting this all along. Even if it spoiled His Excellency's mood, it was worth watching. Only now Luhan regrets for not revealing the news to His Excellency in front of all the soldiers at the farm house.</p><p>"What did he say?" Taehyung grunts.</p><p>"His Majesty said you need to know how the world works."</p><p>"That is what I am doing here, so far away from the luxury of my palace!"</p><p>"His Majesty wanted you to know, that the world,"</p><p>"Is greater and bigger than what I think. Yeah yeah. And what if I say I don't believe mermaids exist?" Taehyung turns around to face Luhan.</p><p>"That is why His Majesty wants you to go. Said, if you do not believe in miracles,"</p><p>"Miracles. Fine, I will believe in them! But mermaids are no miracle. And how do you think one mermaid would break our ship and kill our two-hundred men?" Taehyung cuts in, even if he had liked the idea of mermaids existing, he wouldn't believe it.</p><p>Luhan decides not to argue with the prince. He had been told to give the message. And he had completed his task.</p><p>Taehyung walks to his horse and rides back to the farm house, the sea not feeling peaceful anymore.</p><p> </p><p>Meanwhile in the sea,</p><p>'Did you find him?' A desperate voice whispers, on the verge of breaking into tears.</p><p>Hidden behind the rocks, inside a dark cave, injured Sehun sits, hanging his head low, feeling useless for not being able to help his hyungs find their father, because of his injuries.</p><p>Yoongi shakes his head, too exhausted to even think, and closes his eyes briefly, feeling distraught, shattered. What is he supposed to tell his people now? How is he supposed to answer his sister's questions? How is he supposed to meet their eyes? He couldn't even save the king, his own father. How is he supposed to save his people who had put their trust in him?</p><p>Seokjin places his hand on Yoongi's shoulders, making him sit on the rock beside Sehun. Yoongi places his trident beside him and holds his head in his hands.</p><p>'Anything from Jungkook?' Kwon Jiyong, the 2nd prince of the sea asks. All the princes' turn to look at his stern gaze.</p><p>'Not from Jungkook, but one of our men had heard that a human ship was destroyed by the shark king, every single one dead. The human prince is looking into the matter.' Seokjin answers.</p><p>'Huh. Has a death wish.' Kwon Jiyong clenches his teeth.</p><p>They hear someone coming and everyone stops moving. Yoongi loathes this situation where he has to hide in order to save his brother's and his own life. He had never feared anyone all his life, and today was a shame for him. But he had to be quite for the safety of his brothers. He had already failed to protect his father. He does not even know if his father is alive or dead already.</p><p>'Father!' Sehun and Seokjin immediately swim towards the injured merman that has both of his arms around Namjoon and Seunghyun's neck for support, head hung low.</p><p>They help the king sit on the rock nearby and Seunghyun moves away, letting his younger brothers check their father, an angry furrow set on his brow. As if his own self was not already intimidating enough.</p><p>The king's tail had been injured slightly. They thank the gods, their father is not hurt as much as they were panicking.</p><p>'Where was he?' Yoongi asks.</p><p>Although Seunghyun does not think much and hates to answer questions - especially if they are asked by someone below his rank, answers this one anyway, 'Stuck below a broken ship, unconscious.'</p><p>Seokjin sits by his father, supporting him, while others sit in a circle around him, waiting for him to recover. That is all they can do for now. They had sent all the merpeople to the land safely and what remains of the merfolk in the sea, is only the seven of them.</p><p>'I,' the king breathes, 'have decided -'</p><p>'Sleep.' Seunghyun commands his father, suppressing his feelings.</p><p>'to get -'</p><p>Seunghyun punches the rock that comes up till his waist, and everyone gets silent, watching the rock crumble into pieces.</p><p>Seokjin gulps and looks back at the king, trying to smile, 'He cares for you father. Can't see you in so much pain. Just rest. Okay?'</p><p>Namjoon places his hand on Seunghyun's shoulder in an vain attempt to calm him down. He shrugs his hand off of his shoulder angrily and hisses, 'This is how I want to crumble your sister!' Seunghyun points at the rock he had just punched.</p><p>Even if Namjoon understands how his elder brother must be feeling, he has got no right to think about harming their little sister!</p><p>Yoongi glares at the eldest prince, not wanting to let their father listen them bicker even in this situation.</p><p>They have never got along with the eldest prince due to his temper and him avoiding everyone every time was also not very helpful.</p><p>After hours of deadly silence and no one moving a muscle, the king wakes up, his eyes that were droopy before looking much better.</p><p>He had struggled for hours with his injured body to free himself from the load of the ship. It was made clear by his body to him today, that he had grown so old that he couldn't even lift a vessel. It was difficult and painful for him to admit, but he wasn't strong anymore. He was an old fish. Who wouldn't be able to save his merfolk for long.</p><p>'Father had been thinking about getting help from the humans.' Namjoon tells to nobody in particular and gets four pair of eyes filled with incredulity on him, with Seunghyun not paying any heed and his father taking in all of his sons faces. He knows what each one of them must be thinking. But this is their last hope.</p><p>Merfolk either dies, or fights and then dies.</p><p>It is no secret that they would be hunted even on human land and tortured to death by humans after they get useless for them or get found by the shark lord who would show no mercy to merpeople as well as humans once he steps on the land.</p><p>The king knows that the spell is broken and the shark lord had just unleashed himself. And with passing days, will increase his power. The day isn't far away when the human world would have to witness his wrath and their destruction.</p><p> </p><p>Meanwhile at the opposite side of the merfolk world,</p><p>In uruguay,</p><p>A distinct gravelly voice laughs, braying. Half of his body underwater and the other half out, witnessing his own deed. His sharp fin, almost hidden by the nest of his long hair. He had, without moving a muscle, burned down the whole town of uruguay empire.</p><p>His hee-haw laugh increases its pitch when he sees a woman crying out of agony, running into the water with fire all around her body, trying to save her son, but ends up killing him when she couldn't swim for her life after getting burned and dies.</p><p>He slaps his hands on the surface of the water laughing as if the cries of the burning humans running in front of his eyes are peaceful to his ears.</p><p>The two mermen who had helped him burn the town - as he himself couldn't step on the land - in exchange for the mercy of their own lives try to escape after finishing their task. Soon they get attacked by the sharks and are eaten alive.</p><p>The creature with gravelly voice, after looking at his demonic work for a long time, speaks slowly, drawling every word, 'They weren't here.' And starts laughing again, his sharp teeth, in a flash, bite the merman's head and spits it away, eating the merman's remaining body, a shark had just brought. His size almost the double of the merman in his hand.</p><p>'Where did you hide her?' He sings, his hee-haw laugh falling out of his lips again.</p><p> </p><p>Jungkook is sitting on a branch of a tree in Jimin's farm. Jimin is nowhere around and Jungkook was tired, so decided to rest in Jimin's farm when he was passing by.</p><p>He thinks about the murders happening in this little village. Although today's victim was a human, Jungkook can't help but relate it to Wook.</p><p>What if Kim Jae Wook is behind all the murders?</p><p>But why would he do that?</p><p>Is he somehow working for the shark demon?</p><p>Did the mermaid he kille the day before, knew something?</p><p>He has got no clue about what is happening. All that he knows is that the shark demon have attacked them and another bastard, Kim Jae Wook, is roaming freely on the land, killing people.</p><p>But he is not sure if Wook did all of this.</p><p>He shakes his head furiously. What could it be?</p><p>But if Wook was behind all of this, the shark demon would have already known where they were on the land.</p><p>He sighs. Not able to figure out.</p><p>Jungkook smiles as soon as he sees Jimin returning to his farm.</p><p>He watches him go into his house and come out a little later. he roams around, looking at his plants proudly, smiling.</p><p>He sits don below the tree after plucking few persimmons to eat and sighs.</p><p>Rough day? Jungkook thinks, looking right below him, where Jimin is seated.</p><p>He watches him for a few moments. Jimin sings faintly but Jungkook can clearly hear. His voice is soothing and Jungkook thinks his voice is better that any mermaid's.</p><p>He rests is head on the tree branch and closes his eyes, listening to Jimin sing. Jimin stops suddenly, making Jungkook open his eyes. He looks down at the small man, who is sitting, lost in his thoughts.</p><p>Would it be okay if I interrupt? He thinks.</p><p>He looks around and plucks an apple on the tree branch to drop it down. It lands on Jimin's lap and to his disappointment, Jimin does not even budge.</p><p>He drops another one and then another and another.</p><p>"You are wasting them." Jimin's voice startles him. He is looking up at him standing and smiling.</p><p>Jungkook forgot to look down at Jimin while he was plucking the apples. He smiles sheepishly and waves at Jimin.</p><p>"When did you,"</p><p>"I apologize. But I was not going to steal anything." Jungkook cuts in.</p><p>Jimin laughs and shakes his head.</p><p>"Do you want to come up here?" Jungkook asks, as if it's his farm and he is offering Jimin to join him.</p><p>Jimin nods and starts climbing up.</p><p>He sits on another branch, and suddenly starts feeling embarrassed. He did not think before coming up here. And now what was he supposed to do? He is not even good at making friends. How is he supposed to talk with this man in front of him? He is anyway going to think he is not interesting and run away.</p><p>"Jungkook." Jungkook tells Jimin his name, not looking at him. Jimin looks at him confused at first but then blinks and nods his head.</p><p>"I am Park Jimin." He says cheerfully.</p><p>"You live here alone?"</p><p>"Ah, yes."</p><p>Jimin stares at Jungkook's purple hair and studies his face as if looking at a face for the first time.</p><p>He looks at the branch Jungkook is sitting on and wonders how such a light branch is handling his weight. And as if just on clue, the branch cracks. He looks up at Jungkook in panic, who has not felt or heard the crack, "Jungkook, you should sit on - "</p><p>Thump!</p><p>Jimin shuts his eyes tightly, cursing. He opens his left eye, his lips apart and watches Jungkook get up unsteady.</p><p>He starts laughing at him from above and Jungkook forgets the pain his back is causing because of the fall, laughing together with Jimin.</p><p> </p><p>Lalisa had come to the shore alone. She had planned on coming with Rose, but Rose was out with Jackson and Lalisa felt so restless, she couldn't stop her feet.</p><p>Lalisa inhales the scent of the sea, a wide smile decorating her face and opens her arms, to let the wind make her feel things she couldn't in Rose's house. She sits down on the sand, hugging her legs. Her hanbok gets pulled up and she looks down at the feet. Tail looks much better, she thinks and covers her feet under the hanbok.</p><p>She looks around her to watch fishermen coming back fron the sea, some with net full of fishes while some disappointed with empty or one and two fishes in the nets in their hands.</p><p>Children run around, playing and few making sand forts. She recognizes them from the day before and smiles to herself, watching them play.</p><p>And then her eyes meet someone unexpected, who, by now she has started to believe is following her. She is not complaining though. She would miss those innocent eyes and the whole breath-taking human.</p><p>She does not know what to do next now that her eyes had found his. Is she supposed to smile?</p><p>This time, he smiles and it makes Lalisa's heart go into - what, even she does not know.</p><p>He looks away immediately, making Lalisa's rosy pink cheeks turn red even more, if that is even at all possible.</p><p>Lalisa looks ahead at the sea, trying to suppress her smile, biting her lips. Jungkook hyung wouldn't be so happy if he comes to know she is letting a human get close to her without anyone around, she thinks. But the human wouldn't come close, she thinks and smiles brighter when she notices him sitting down away from her but not so for away. So that he could at least watch her.</p><p>She closes her eyes letting her guard down and even she doesn't know why she would do so.</p><p>After a few minutes, "Lalisa! Thank god you are alright. I searched for you in the whole town!" Jackson comes running towards her, relief washing over his features.</p><p>Lalisa looks guilty for making them worried. She hadn't given a thought about people getting worried because of her absence. She just couldn't stop herself from coming here.</p><p>"Rose was very worried about you, let's go home."</p><p>Lalisa looks a bit upset, which jackson immediadely notices and offers, "Uh, now that I have found you, and I know you are alright, we can wait here, till you feel like you want to go back."</p><p> </p><p>Taehyung sits in the same position as Lalisa, and instead of resting his chin on his knees like her, he rests his temple on his knees, facing her. He keeps his eyes on her, her eyes closed, a wave of peace washing over his heart.</p><p>He sighs, wishing he was a normal human and not a prince. For he would never be able to choose his own life parter, and even if he does, she should be a princess.</p><p>A man calls Lalisa and Taehyung watches them talk, with a sad look in his eyes.</p><p>He notices another girl he had always seen with Lalisa come towards her and he lets his eyes fall away from Lalisa and gets up. He truns around and bumps into Hoseok who had come from behind him and without warning.</p><p>"Are you spying me hyung?" Taehyung asks.</p><p>Hoseok keeps glancing at Lalisa's friend.</p><p>"Ya hyung, you like her?" taehyung asks, wiggling his brows.</p><p>Hoseok smiles sadly and Taehyung stops teasing him, looking at him concerned.</p><p>"Remember when you had read a letter I wrote and made fun of it?" Hoseok asks, laughing slightly at the memory.</p><p>Taehyung nods.</p><p>"I was writing it for her. She is Rose."</p><p>"But you never gave her that letter," Taehyung states confused, "let's do it now hyung!" he says cheerfully.</p><p>"I wsih I could."</p><p>The prince looks at him confused again, "Are you afraid she wouldn't take it? She cannot refuse you! And who would?"</p><p>"She is married Tae. To the man standing beside her."</p><p>Taehyung looks at the man standing with them, who he had mistaken for Lalisa's someone. Tarhyung feels releaved but immediately regrets after looking at Hoseok's sad eyes looking at Rose.</p><p>"I wish I would have given her all the letters I wrote for her. But I guess she wouldn't be as much happy with me because of my general duties, as much as she is with the fisherman." Hoseok finally smiles a genuine smile.</p><p>Taehyung looks at Lalisa one last time and his heart couldn't decide if she would be more happy with him or any other man.</p><p> </p><p>Lalisa looks back at the place where he was seated. He isn't there now. Her smile fades just a bit and she looks back at Rose who is scolding Jackson for not finding Lalisa quicker than he already had.</p><p>"Let's go," Rose says, holding Lalisa's hand, "the baby wouldn't stop crying. Even the 7th prince is not home and she wouldn't stop crying unless she sees either you or the prince."</p><p> </p><p>Meanwhile in the palace,</p><p>A woman, dressed elegantly in red and blue hanbok embroidered with gold thread, her gold crown fitting perfectly above her head, walks to the throne hall with her court lady and  six assistant court ladies behind.</p><p>The guards open the door to the throne hall and the court ladies stop outside, while the queen enters.</p><p>"Your Majesty!" The queen speaks as soon as the doors closes, without bowing to the king, who is sitting on the throne with papers in front of him looking at her, and no one around, "why do you keep putting my son in such situations?" she demands, standing right in front of him.</p><p>"What situation?" The king smiles, looking back at the papers.</p><p>"Please bring him back," she pleads, "people have already started talking about it. They say the other ship witnessed it."</p><p>"Let me teach them things my own way, queen," He speaks calmly, "moreover, I believe, he wouldn't harm my son."</p><p>"I don't believe it was them. Spectators say, it was double the size of a human. And they certainly are not of double size. Something is wrong. You have to take back your command." She pleads, on the verge of tears.</p><p>The door opens, revealing a young man. He marches in, "Your Majesty." He bows.</p><p>"Son, tell your father to let your brother come back. Don't let him to the sea." The queen faces the man who had just entered.</p><p>"My decision won't change queen. Leave me with the crown prince now." The king orders and the queen looks at the crown prince, helplessly.</p><p>She walks out, furious.</p><p> </p><p>"We will be leaving early tomorrow morning. Be prepared." The general commands his soldiers.</p><p>"It's going to be bloody pirates. Not fantasies." The prince says, looking at a nervous soldier.</p><p>"I am not taking the jumpy ones." General announces with a poker face, looking at his soldiers, who look uneasy thinking they actually are going to fight mermaids with magical powers. And even if that was the case, he had prepared them for the worst and not to see them getting all worked up because of some rumor.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Full blown panic hits Jungkook when the red blood on the floor near the door catches his eyes and he couldn't find Lalisa anywhere.</p><p>'Jackson!' He yells pushing the glass pots kept near the door, causing them to fall and shatter into small pieces. </p><p>He turns around, holding his trident in his left hand and right hand seizing the guard's neck behind him, making the guard choke, not being able to wait till Jackson comes.</p><p>'Where is my sister!' His angry eyes ask piercing into the guard's wary ones as soon as Jackson comes down the stairs running.</p><p>Jackson looks around confused, at the blood spilled on the floor and the shattered glass, 'Did the prince get hurt - ' Jackson asks the guard and stops abruptly when Jungkook pushes the guard making him fall to the ground.</p><p>'Where is the other one.' Jungkook demands, when his eyes do not find the other guard.</p><p>'Your Highness! I swear on my child, I was obscure to the guard's intentions.' The guard begs for mercy getting to his knees before Jungkook.</p><p>Jungkook screams in vexation, not knowing where Lalisa is. She was not here when he had called out for her and then he was informed that one of the guards at Jackson's house worked for Wook. And now the guard was missing with Lalisa. The blood he saw made him feel like he was getting stabbed. </p><p>Rose enters the house, confused.</p><p>Jungkook looks behind Rose, at the door, hopefully. Lalisa could have been with Rose, with a minor injury somewhere.</p><p>'What happened here?' Rose asks looking around. And the tiny ray of hope Jungkook had wished for disappears as soon as he hears the next words leaving Rose's lips, 'Where is the baby? And the princess?' She asks looking at the empty spot where Lalisa sits every morning with the baby mermaid, playing with her.</p><p>Jungkook wastes no time after that and holds the guard by the collar of his dress and drags him out of the house.</p><p> </p><p>'What happened?' Rose asks Jackson.</p><p>Jackson shakes his head, 'I came running down when the prince called for me and heard things getting thrown and he asked the guard where the princess was. He did not tell me anything, but the guard told the prince he did not know about the other guards intentions.'</p><p>Rose does not need to hear the whole thing as she realizes what might be the reason for the prince's anger and she runs off in the direction of Jimin's farm. But to her dismay, neither Lalisa nor Jimin could be seen in the farm. Jimin is never home at this time, he certainly is working somewhere, selling his fruits.</p><p>But Lalisa wouldn't come to the farm with the baby. Rose thinks confused. They never took the baby mermaid out of the water. And the prince being so furious, could mean something bad...</p><p>Rose facepalms herself. She looks back to find Jackson had followed her.</p><p>'Do you think she could be at the shore again?' Jackson asks.</p><p>They make their way towards the sea. Lalisa is not even at the shore.</p><p>'Jackson. Lalisa would never come out with the baby. What if someone...?' She trails off, fearing to complete her sentence. She blames herself for leaving Lalisa and the baby alone in her own house. But how was she supposed to know the other guard bearing malice toward the princess?</p><p> </p><p>Jungkook and the guard continue finding Lalisa every possible place they could. Jungkook, with the help of the guard, went to all the places the traitor guard could be at. They found no clue.</p><p>The guard notices all the villagers fearing them because of the trident in the princes' hand and the angry look he is wearing. He knows it would be the last day of his life if they fail to find the princess. The prince had been commanding every trust worthy merman and mermaid, whenever he saw one, to inform them about the princess as soon as they come to know anything about her. And all the merfolk they saw today was busy finding the princess. For they knew, if they did not find her in time, they all would be dead. Either by the hands of their own king or by the shark lord. The princess was the only mermaid who could save them from the shark lord. And the whole merfolk knew it. Except for the mermaid herself.</p><p> </p><p>The cries of the baby makes Lalisa's heart break. She keeps chanting, 'I am sorry, I am sorry...' for she couldn't keep her promise she had made to her dead aunt, about keeping her daughter safe. She had put herself and the baby in this situation. If only she had trusted people less.</p><p>The guard at Rose's house had threatened her to follow him when she had trusted him with the baby but he held a knife to the baby's throat. She had no choice but to follow him to her death when she saw the blood spilling out of the little mermaid's neck from the side.</p><p>"Please, please please please please please please....." she keeps begging in the dark of the room, "don't hurt her." she cries.</p><p>She is tied to a pillar away from where the little mermaid is, with a human who is pinching and biting her, making her cry in pain. She had realized there was only one merman present in whatever place she was. With five other humans, counting the pearls falling off of the baby mermaid's face as she cries.</p><p>"Pearls is all you want. I will give you bigger ones. Please let her go." Her cries fall on deaf ears.</p><p>She has to do something before the little mermaid cries herself to her death. She thinks and stops pleading. She looks around to find something, anything that could help her. But all she sees is dry grass.</p><p>The little mermaid's cry, this time sharper, reaches her ears and she watches in horror as a human pierces a needle into the baby's arm and Lalisa screams again, fighting against the chains she is tied with.</p><p>"Tell me princess. Would you still dance at our finger tips, if we let her go?" the human who had just pierced a needle in the baby's arm asks licking his lower lip.</p><p>"Leave her alone!" This time she commands with the tears flowing down her cheeks, screaming. As if the tortures the little mermaid is facing are hurting her. And they are. She is feeling every sharp needle pain, every teeth sinking into the baby's skin.</p><p>She cannot just sit around and watch. She feels her head might burst with the pain.</p><p>The door bursts open, blinding Lalisa with the light and she hears footsteps nearing her. She prays it's Jungkook.</p><p>She opens her eyes just to close them again as someone blindfolds her.</p><p>"We don't have enough time," the voice says panicked, and she knows it's not her brother, "Take her to the vessel! Proceed as planned."</p><p>"But the pearls?!" She hears one of the human ask, the same one who had looked at her in a dirty way and licked his lips.</p><p>"Keep that fish. It would give you pearls for a lifetime. But take this one to the vessel! And spread the rumors!" The voice that blindfolded her commands hurriedly.</p><p>Lalisa feels hands on her and she tries to fight them off. They pick her up and throw her into something she does not know but feels like being inside a drum. She realizes she is the one being taken to a vessel and the baby would remain here. She tries to untie her hands and kicks the walls of the drum she is sitting in.</p><p>I have to protect little mermaid! She panics, banging the drum with her legs.</p><p>She fails miserably and stops her protests, crying her soul out when she no more hears the baby's voice as it faded with the distance. She is being carried away from her.</p><p>She was wrong.</p><p>Humans are the worst!</p><p>She would never trust one ever again.</p><p> </p><p>"Soldiers! I hope no one disappoints me." Hoseok says as he watches his men get on the ship.</p><p>Taehyung waits for all his men to take all their weapons and belongings on the ship.</p><p>After few minutes, he pushes himself off the pillar he was resting his body on, and just takes his sword and starts walking towards the ship. He wonders what it would be like to be a pirate and not a prince.</p><p>Freedom.</p><p>He thinks and smiles to himself.</p><p>He would always be stuck with the laws, fulfilling his duty for his empire.</p><p>He would never be able to lead a normal life. With a normal family.</p><p>He would always have to be there to fight. Shed blood.</p><p>They were going to fight the pirates today. If they find any. Although his men say, they were about to fight the mermaids and mermen, he did not believe in any of it. He was sure the ship was attacked by the pirates. But his men believed it was attacked by mermen.</p><p>Taehyung bumps into a hard figure who is carrying a tank of water to their ship. He looks up at his face, the man's jaw locked, not meeting Taehyung's eyes. Taehyung says nothing and then finally smiles slightly, motioning him to continue.</p><p>Taehyung looks at the tank for a bit longer as the man takes it on the ship. He looks at Hoseok, who nods at him saying they are ready.</p><p> </p><p>Yoongi glares at the guard that just stopped them. He had hated the idea of asking for help from humans. And here they are, in front of the palace. The last thing he wants to see is his father begging a human.</p><p>They enter the throne hall, where the land king sits on the throne in the middle with his soldiers around him.</p><p>"Long time," The king says, not in a very friendly way, "you dared to show me your face after what you did."</p><p>Yoongi clenches his fists. Albeit furious about the land king's tone, he can't help but notice that the land king already knows about them.</p><p>"Kim," His father nods at the land king and the soldiers look at them confused and alarmed, for they just address their king with his name, "We need to talk. Alone."</p><p>After few moments of contemplating whether to hear to what the fish creature has to say, the land king finally signals everyone to get out.</p><p>The land king with his oldest son and the sea king with Yoongi are the only ones in the throne hall.</p><p>'Wasn't the prince supposed to be in the sea? To investigate why and how their last ship had been attacked and broken?' Yoongi asks so that only Seokjin and Namjoon could hear, who are standing outside the throne hall, waiting for them.</p><p>'I guess it was a rumor if the prince is still here. Or he could be going now, or tomorrow?' Seokjin says.</p><p>'He won't. After listening about the shark lord.' Namjoon tells.</p><p>Yoongi looks at the land prince confused, but ignores it for now.</p><p>"My people need help." The sea king states directly.</p><p>The land king looks at him as if the person who has just asked for help had grown two heads.</p><p>Yoongi would have never let his father ask a mere human for help if it was not for the huge peril in their way. But if the humans denied to help them, his father had at least wanted to warn them about the coming storm.</p><p>"I wouldn't even ask what has happened. My people will never help yours," the land king replies. The sea king says or does nothing. He knew the answer already, "it took me eighteen years to make every soul - who witnessed your doings - believe my sister was innocent. I would never help someone as wicked as you. I was a fool to even let you enter the palace so that you could stab onto my fading scars again!" The land king looks at the sea king, with pure hatred.</p><p>And Yoongi, even if not remembering what had happened eighteen years ago, or even how this man knows about his father and the merpeople, knows their request for help will fall on deaf ears, all in vain.</p><p>After a moment, as if something clicked in the land kings head, he asks, "Are your people - apart from you and your sons - already on the land?" He asks, his eyes wide. The sea king says nothing and the land king gets up from his throne in disbelief, "Is that why the crimes in my world had increased?"</p><p>The sea king has no answer to that. He knew who was responsible for the crimes on the human kings land. But he couldn't answer. For the criminals were the traitors. Who had betrayed him for the shark lord. But they were merpeople after all. He was ashamed to admit that the land king was facing problems because of his people again.</p><p>The land kind loathed him. Although it was not the same nineteen years ago. They were cronies. Never left each others sides. But eighteen years ago, everything changed. Once known as brothers from different mothers, were enemies now.</p><p>The sea king had already known, the land king would never help him. But he had come. Hoping he would forget his one mistake and accept his friendship.</p><p>"Selfish." Yoongi hears the land king say in a low whisper.</p><p>"Selfish," the land king says louder this time, "selfish is what you are. You always will be." he says remembering how he was trapped by the fish standing in front of him eighteen years ago.</p><p>Yoongi could not listen to any more insults for his father. He places his hand on his trident and steps forward but is immediately stopped by his father. He clenches his jaw, but obeys.</p><p>The sea king feels sorry for what had happened and for the people who suffered. He lost someone precious too. But what happened was history. They have to focus on the present and their future.</p><p>"The shark," the sea king starts and the land kings head snaps towards the sea kings direction. Yoongi wonders if the land king knows about the shark lord too, he couldn't believe a human knew so much about the sea and it's creatures, "is free."</p><p>The four words are all that takes the land king to sit down again and listen.</p><p>Looks like he will help. Yoongi thinks.</p><p>Yoongi looks at the land kings face, his features changing rapidly. From surprise to anger to fear and then horror. Just when the land king is about to say something, the door to the throne hall breaks open, revealing a furious Namjoon.</p><p>'What is it?' Yoongi asks sensing the fear and anger in his brother's eyes.</p><p>'Lalisa!' Without saying another word, Namjoon, in few angry strides, reaches near the land king and places his trident on his chest.</p><p>The eldest land prince immediately takes out his sword and places it on Namjoon's neck.</p><p>"Namjoon!" The sea king warns.</p><p>"Father, they abducted Lalisa!" Namjoon says angrily.</p><p>"Lalisa." The name registers in the land kings mind and he looks at the sea king, eyes wide open, he had never expected to hear that name again.</p><p>The soldiers of the king come running in, pointing their swords at Namjoon one by one, stopped by attacking only because their king has signaled to.</p><p>"Never expected you to play dirty. Where is my daughter!" The sea king demands, ignoring the swords now pointing at his direction. His body looks as if its growing in size with every passing second. The land king knows, the sea king gets furious very rarely. And if he is getting furious now, he knows he could burn everything down to find his daughter. But how is he supposed to know where his daughter was?</p><p>And she was abducted?</p><p>"I never knew she lived!"The land king replies equally furious. For he is worried for his son now. Whom he had sent to the sea, not knowing about the shark lord getting unleashed! He himself had sent his youngest son to death. And now he has no clue how he was going to save him. Even if he sends his whole troop to rescue his son, he wouldn't be able to. He will lose everything. His son as well as the whole army that would go to save him.</p><p>"Lalisa, is she...." the land king trails off searching in the sea kings eyes.</p><p>The sea king notices how mournful the land king's eyes look and he looks away nodding, letting his wrath calm down. Hearing that name from the land kings mouth, made him realize the land king would never harm Lalisa.</p><p>"Namjoon, Yoongi. They must have not gotten far away. Start searching for her." The sea king commands, walking out of the throne hall.</p><p>The sea king's heart breaks for the first time in eighteen years. And he prays it's not the shark lord that had got his daughter.</p><p>Yoongi and Namjoon leave the palace confused by the exchange between the two kings.</p><p> </p><p>And the land king sits there, on his old throne, wanting to ask for help from the merpeople for the life of his son.</p><p>He sits there, not being able to tell anyone what he is going through. His son is in danger and Lalisa - someone he thought was dead eighteen years ago - was alive.</p><p> </p><p>Jungkook had searched the whole village and had got no clue about his sister. He had thought of sending a message to his father and his hyungs, but he later came to know they had already come to the land. He did not know where they were.</p><p>He later heard about the rumors of Lalisa getting abducted by the land kings men. But he knew that wasn't true. He knew Wook did all of this.</p><p>Jungook even failed at protecting the baby. He did not know where the baby as well as Lalisa were.</p><p>Someone taps on his shoulder and he turns so fast, his neck might break. He looks down at Jimin staring at him, smiling. Jimin's smile falters when Jungkook looks coldly at him, his eyes hollow. The warmth Jimin had felt looking in them, no more there.</p><p>"Is everything alright?" Jimin asks concerned.</p><p>And just then, Jungkook hears the cries of a baby. He turns around and starts running as fast as he could in the dirction of the voice. It is a bit far away. But it would take him two minutes to reach the baby. He hopes and prays with all that he has got in him, for the cry to be of the baby mermaids'.</p><p>He does not dare to call out for Lalisa, fearing if Wook comes to know about his presence, he might do something.</p><p>He kicks the door of the stable and it flies open startling the humans in it, near the baby mermaid. His heart sinks when he notices the wounds on her as she cries.</p><p>He grips his trident hard and in one swift move kills the human running towards him to attack him. He might have thought Jungkook was a normal soldier.</p><p>He looks at the four humans, frozen in their spots, his red eyes searching for a familiar face. And he spots it.</p><p>The merman who had betrayed them, who was the other missing guard at Rose's house, stands there, fearing the prince. He tries to run away from the back door. Jungkook's hand reaches to the small knife on the belt around his waist and he aims for the guards head. The knife finds its place exactly where Jungkook had aimed for and the guard falls down to his knees, holding his head.</p><p>Jungkook strides towards the remaining four humans killing them in a blink of an eye, not leaving any time for them to even register what had happened.</p><p> </p><p>Jimin could not believe what he just saw.</p><p>He had followed Jungkook who started running without saying anything, and Jimin had felt something was wrong.</p><p>And here he was now.</p><p>The man who had made him feel things by just meeting three times had murdered six men. And he was not even a soldier! Jimin did not know what he was supposed to think of him? What was he feeling?</p><p>Is this fear?</p><p>And is the man in front of him a criminal?</p><p>Who had been killing people in his village. The one he had heard about from Rose?</p><p>He looks down at the dead bodies of six men in horror. He then looks up at the trident in Jungkooks hand. And then it triggers in his mind. The night his family was killed. His mother, father and sister.</p><p>Behind his back.</p><p>The weapon Jungkook is holding looked same like the one that was in the chest of his father. The mermen had killed his family eighteen years ago.</p><p>And the man he thought he felt things for, was now standing in front of him, with a trident covered with blood. Was he a merman too? The creatures he hated the most!</p><p>Jimin shakes his head and stumbles backward. Did the mermen come back? Will they attack humans again? No! He won't let that happen. He won't let any other kid lose their family and suffer like he did.</p><p>Jungkook looks back ready to attack but stops immediately after finding Jimin looking at him.</p><p>Jimin looks at Jungkook's red angry eyes softening as soon as they find his. How could these eyes harm innocent people?</p><p>Jimin had no answer.</p><p>He watches as Jungkook turns and holds a little girl, who looks three or four years old, with scratches and piercings all over her. Jimin feels his eyes burn and realizes Jungkook did whatever he did to save the girl. He would have done the same. Anyone would have.</p><p>He looks at them, his eyes soft, as Jungkook looks at her in relief. Jungkook looks around as if finding something. But when he does not spot what he is finding, he drops down, on his knees and hangs his head, hugging the little girl.</p><p>Jimin waits for him to calm down, not going near him. He is no one and he has got no right to say something. The little girl could be Jungkook's daughter. He lets him have his time, albeit feeling a bit disappointed.</p><p>After a few moments Jungkook gets up and turns around, his lost eyes looking determined again.</p><p>And that is when Jimin gets to look at the little girls whole body. Only she is not a girl but a mermaid. All the sympathy, empathy and whatever he was feeling for Jungkook and the gir - mermaid leaves him replacing it with shock and horror again.</p><p>Jungkook looks at the change of Jimin's expressions calmly. He had expected that.</p><p>"Can you trust me and take her to your farm secretly?" Jungkook asks directly. Not wanting to waste his time and continue searching for Lalisa. Wook was not here. Lalisa could be with him. And he has got no time to waste. he has to find her faster. He thinks.</p><p>Jimin nods without letting any word spill from his lips.</p><p>Jungkook looks around and finds a cloth to cover the little mermaid, "Leave her in a tub of water as soon as you reach home." He says, searching for Jimin's eyes, "I trust you." He tells him and runs out of the stable, leaving  a shocked Jimin behind.</p><p> </p><p>Jimin opens the door to his house absent minded. He had brought the little mermaid to his house secretly just like Jungkook had told him.</p><p>He did not know what was happening. Why the little creature in his hands was treated so brutally, what had she done to get such punishment?</p><p>He did not know why he had agreed on bringing her home.</p><p>He did not know why Jungkook, even after finding the little mermaid was panicking and in a hurry.</p><p>The image of the six dead men crosses his mind and he shivers. Were they mermen too?</p><p>He locks the door behind him, not trusting even humans now. He removes the scarf out of the little mermaids face and watches her, he sees tears spilling down her checks uncontrollably even now.</p><p>"Hush. It's alright. They are gone now. I won't harm you." He tries to calm her but fails.</p><p>He remember Jungkook telling him to put her in a tub of water as soon as he reaches home. He fills a tub with water with his right hand while the left one still holding the mermaid.</p><p>Jimin takes off her scarf and a handful of pearls fall down. And even after the scarf has none of it, they keep falling. He slowly raises his head to look up at the little mermaids face and witnesses something he thought he never would. The tears spilling out of the mermaids eyes are turning into pearls.</p><p>Is this what those cruel men had wanted? Pearls?</p><p>He places her in the tub gently, hoping she would calm down then. And she does. She stops crying.</p><p>The color of the water changes to crimson red and Jimin feels tears forming in his eyes again. How could someone be so brutal to do such a thing to a child!</p><p>He fills another tub with water and places it beside the first one. He takes the mermaid out of the first one carefully and dabs her wounds gently, which had dried earlier before putting her in the water.</p><p>He puts her in the second tub and watches her in awe. She sleeps after few moments and Jimin watches as her yellow tail curls upward as she sleeps.</p><p>He had never seen a mermaid before. And she is beautiful.</p><p>He can't help but wonder how Jungkook might look as a mermaid? If he was one. Is his tail yellow too? But that won't look good under purple hair. Jimin shakes his head, reminding himself, the little mermaid in front of him could be Jungkook's daughter and he possibly is already married.</p><p>And has a family.</p><p>Do mermaids and mermen marry too? He thinks and shakes his head again.</p><p>He shouldn't feel anything for a merman. He tells himself.</p><p>He gets up, goes towards his bed and bends down, dragging a box out from below his bed. He opens it after three years and holds his fathers sword. Then he looks down at the broken trident and remembers how he had made a promise the day his family was murdered - to kill the mermen who had murdered his family.</p><p>He was just eight years old when he was left alone to suffer. He started to learn sword so that he could fight them when he finds them.</p><p>His father was a soldier, and he had wanted to become one too.</p><p>But not anymore.</p><p>He looks back at the sleeping mermaid, the words 'I trust you' ringing in his head with Jungkook's face.</p><p>"But I don't." He whispers.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lalisa opens her eyes to the unfamiliar surrounding. All that she can make out is black.</p><p>Where am I?</p><p>She tries to move but realizes she is sitting and is inside something. She touches the barrel she is in, it's wood.</p><p>Her eyes widen in realization, and she panics, which is not helping her get anywhere at the moment. She kicks the walls of the barrel.</p><p>I am away from the little mermaid. How am I going to save her? Will I even get out of this barrel in time? Why isn't this breaking anyway? Shouldn't it be easy for me to break wood?</p><p>Ah! Please! Please break!</p><p>The barrel starts moving on it's own, she feels the barrel she is in, fall, resulting a sharp pain shoot up her right arm.</p><p>Lalisa starts kicking the barrel harder, when it stops after hitting a wall.</p><p>Are they moving me somewhere else again? Hyung would never find me if they keep changing my location like this.</p><p>Where am I? Will anyone even know I am closed in a barrel somewhere? Is this how it ends? Father and hyungs must be worried about me! I can't cry. I don't want them to listen to me cry.</p><p> </p><p>Jimin hears a soft knock on his door, making his heart beat faster. He opens the door slightly, looking at the figure in front of him.</p><p>"May I get in?" Jungkook asks when Jimin looks at him, lost, unmoving.</p><p>"Yes, yes." Jimin nods and opens the door wider. He has never let anyone in his house. And he does not know why he was letting Jungkook in. Even after knowing he is a merman and not trusting him. "She is asleep," Jimin says softly looking at the little mermaid.</p><p>Jungkook sighs heavily not knowing what to do.</p><p>"I," Jungkook looks into Jimin's eyes not able to decide whether he should ask Jimin for this. He would have never bothered him if Rose's house was safe. Which was not anymore.</p><p>"I can take care of her and keep her here as long as you want. Safe," Jimin speaks looking down at his hands when he notices Jungkook lost in his thoughts, as if something was eating him from within.</p><p>He looks up at Jungkook, who looks revealed as well as grateful for what Jimin said, not able to form words again.</p><p>"I do not want to drag you into any of this. But I also don't have any other choice. I know you might have a lots of questions and I will even answer each one of them. After all I owe you at least an explanation to whatever I am doing." Jungkook thanks him standing awkwardly.</p><p>Jungkook knew Lalisa was not in this village anymore. Wook must have certainly taken her somewhere far. And Jungkook suspected, Wook might take her to the palace. Wook had always wanted to sit on a human throne as a child. Merpeople always laughed it off. Thinking it was just his childish dream which would disappear as he grows. But as Wook grew, his obsession for the human throne doubled. He dreamed of ruling on land.</p><p>But the sea is greater than land. Jungkook had thought when he was little.</p><p>What Jungkook feared more, was Wook marrying Lalisa. Wook wanted Lalisa as much as he wanted the throne. Jungkook has never let any man near his sister, and Lalisa was oblivious to Wook's obsession towards her. Jungkook loathes himself for failing to protect her from the sick merman.</p><p>"I will not be around for few days," Jungkook tells Jimin directly, not knowing where to start. He wanted his sister near him, safe, as soon as possible. And he will have to search for her in other villages too.</p><p>Jimin continues to stare at him, not interrupting.</p><p>Jungkook gives up explaining Jimin what and why he is doing whatever he is doing. He will unfold everything to Jimin when he finds Lalisa. For now he has to thank Jimin for what he was doing for him.</p><p>"I will come back after I find my sister." Jungkook tells him and turns around to get out.</p><p>Leaving a confused and shocked Jimin behind again.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Find his sister? A mermaid?" Jimin whispers when Jungkook disappears. Is that why Jungkook was panicking? Was his sister abducted with the little mermaid? What was going on? Is Jungkook involved in some criminal activity? Why are people after his family? First his daughter then sister. What is going on here? Or is it because human thugs know that they are water creatures and are after them just because of their greed?</p><p>Even if a merman had killed his family, did not mean every merman was cruel. Jungkook might be a really good merman, just trying to protect his family from human thugs. Or pirates?</p><p>Does it not make sense that pirates must have seen Jungkook's sister and daughter in the sea, and abducted them and brought to the land? And Jungkook is here to find them?</p><p>Jimin presumes his mind is going to keep assuming things that might not even make any sense, and shakes his head sitting down beside the mermaid, folding his knees and bringing them to his chin.</p><p>I hope everything goes well and Jungkook finds his sister. Jimin wonders if he might have been of any help to Jungkook if he were a soldier? Would Jungkook have even told me about him being a merman if I were a soldier? Although he haven't confirmed it himself yet. But if I were a soldier, would he still have trusted me with this little mermaid? But even if I am not a soldier, should I not help him?</p><p>He looks up at the door, not knowing if he should help a merman or...</p><p>He looks back at the mermaid.</p><p>If Jungkook is someone I shouldn't trust, then even this whole empire can't trust him. What is the right thing to do? Helping a water creature by hiding his daughter? Or handing her over to the king?</p><p>The words, 'I trust you', start ringing in Jimin's head again and he closes his eyes, the flashes of his past running in his mind.</p><p> </p><p>Meanwhile, in the Indian ocean,</p><p>"Ka - li - a," a gravelly voice sings breaking the word 'Kalia' and singing the 'a' at the end of it. Calling one of the sharks. Which did not make any difference because he called every shark 'Kalia'.</p><p>'Master,' a shark comes swimming towards the voice, 'Kim Jae Wook, the merman, did not find her,' he says, knowing what his master was going to ask him.</p><p>"Do I trust him?" The voice sings, laughing in his hee-haw, "No I don't," he swims deeper under the ocean, his voice disappearing deep inside the ocean, "Kali - a," he calls again and another shark nearest to him, bows in front of him.</p><p>"What do royal mermaids taste like?" His hee-haw laugh sounds dangerously low and the shark nearest to him knows, his must not answer and let the lord continue, "Follow the merman," he commands licking his lower lip.</p><p>The shark lord knows Wook would never tell him about where the mermaid is. He is just some other pawn to get him closer to the mermaid.</p><p>I will know the moment, the mermaid gets in water.</p><p>I will eliminate Wook when he finds her.</p><p>"Follow him and find out if he has found her."</p><p>"I am hungry," the shark lord's devious eyes twinkle, his smile revealing his sharp teeth, "Lalisa."</p><p> </p><p>"Hunting?" A raspy voice asks and Jungkook need not hear it twice  to know who it belonged to. He swings his trident and looks up at the roof of a hanok he was passing by, "Apparently, me?" the voice half laughs.</p><p>Jungkook's eyes turn red in anger when they find Wook's, standing on the top of a hanok, looking down at him, smirking.</p><p>He lifts his trident, and before he throws it at Wook, asks coldly, "Where is Lalisa?" Jungkook does not even want to wait for Wook's answer and instead wants to beat him till his death. But he would not find Lalisa that way.</p><p>He moves closer to the hanok, and to his surprise, Wook himself comes down, standing in front of him, with a safe distance between them.</p><p>"Eliminate me and you shall never see her again." Wook talks calmly which makes Jungkook angrier.</p><p>Jungkook clenches his jaw and takes his trident down. He had planned on killing Wook whenever his eyes would find him. But now, with Lalisa in danger, he is not sure what he is supposed to do.</p><p>"I won't kill you. Just give her back." Jungkook breathes, talking as calmly as possible.</p><p>Wook chuckles and Jungkook's grip tightens around his trident. He feels like he might burst any moment and kill the dastard in front of him.</p><p>"Take this as a warning Wook. I see a scratch on her, and I -"</p><p>"You doubt me prince," Wook cuts him off, "You doubt my love. Why would I hurt my Lalisa?" Jungkook feels bile rising up his throat, hearing those words from the scoundrel about his sister, "You should thank me instead. I did not hand her over to the shark lord. Sure I helped him get unleashed, but I would not give him Lalisa." Wook continues in a mock tone.</p><p>"So it's true. You betrayed us and became a slave to the shark demon."</p><p>"Why do you say that?" Wook furrows his brows dramatically, "That's totally wrong. I am betraying the shark by not letting him know about Lalisa. I am doing you a favor. Would you not betroth me to Lalisa? "</p><p>"You are sick! Where is she?" Jungkook asks, knowing very well that was a stupid question and Wook would never tell him.</p><p>"Seek and you shall die." Wook whispers and starts running away.</p><p>Jungkook follows right behind, 'Wook! I will help you sit on the human throne! Tell me where she is!' Jungkook says, so that only Wook could hear.</p><p>"The sea."</p><p>Jungkook stops dead in his tracks, his face pales in fear, his eyes wide, Wook's figure growing smaller as he runs.</p><p>You sent her to the sea.</p><p>'Help me eliminate the land king and the royal family of this empire, prince' Wook's voice reaches Jungkook, bringing him out of his shock, 'and I will bring her back to the land. Shark lord does not know where she is. YET. Now it's only me who can help you bring her back safe.'</p><p>Royal family of land.</p><p> </p><p>Taehyung stands on the quarterdeck of his ship, looking at the far end of the sea, squinting his green eyes. His hair flowing, backwards, revealing his forhead.</p><p>The ship was steady till now. But the the waves look angrier than before, making the ship dance.</p><p>Hoseok orders one of the soldiers to go to the mast above and check for any pirate ship. He joins Taehyung, resting his arms on the barrel in front of him.</p><p>"What has got your attention?" Hoseok asks when he notices the lost look in Taehyung's eyes.</p><p>"Hyung," Taehyung waits for few moments, forming something proper that would explain what he was feeling. It was impossible to hide his feelings from Hoseok, but he did not know what was bothering him, "I feel uneasy."</p><p>Hoseok studies Taehyung's face for a couple of seconds and looks ahead at the sea, "You know His Majesty loves you right?"</p><p>"It's not the sea hyung. It's not about father ending me here, to the sea. And I love my father too. I would do anything he commands me to. I would do it even if it costs me my life and you know that. But this is not about it. I keep feeling like I should have visited mother before coming here."</p><p>"You talk as if this is your last battle. You won't depart this life when I am by your side. At least not by the hands of mere pirates." Hoseok smiles smugly.</p><p>Taehyung returns his smile. That was not what he was feeling uneasy about. Pirates were his least concern. He would die a soldier, and he had no complains about it.</p><p>Little did he know, it was not him who was destined to die today, but his family.</p><p>"I will be in my cabin hyung." Taehyung smiles and starts making his way towards his cabin. He hears a loud thud below the wooden surface he is standing on, and looks around.</p><p>Instead of ordering any of his soldiers, who are all busy doing some or the other work on the ship, he himself goes down to check it.</p><p>The ship moves, waves getting stronger.</p><p>A barrel comes rolling towards him when he steps down the last stair and stops at his footstep.</p><p>He bends to put it back but stops when he hears pounding from inside.</p><p>He breaks the opening of the barrel, his brows set in an angry furrow. Not knowing what to expect out of the barrel.</p><p>His face softens as soon as he sees a girl curled inside the barrel, her mouth, hand and feet tied back, looking up at him her crystal green eyes defeated.</p><p>"Lalisa?"</p><p> </p><p>Seunghyun and Yoongi stare at each other, their jaws locked.</p><p>"Hyung, we are wasting the moment in this juvenile natter. We have no clue about her. Just let's find her first." Namjoon interrupts their stare.</p><p>Yoongi, Seunghyun and Namjoon had departed ways with the king, Sehun and Seokjin to find Lalisa. If his father had known about his sons relationship with each other, he would have never allowed Seunghyun and Yoongi to be together to find Lalisa. Namjoon wished it was Seokjin with him instead of his Seunghyun hyung. Seunghyun hyung wouldn't have at least said anything in the king's presence, and would have obeyed every command if he where with the king instead of Seokjin.</p><p>"We wouldn't even be on land to start with if that sister of yours had not sold her mind and stepped here!" Seunghyun says for the umpteenth time now, "And you know what? I am going back to the sea. Go seek her yourself."</p><p>"Go back to the sea and then what? Die?" Yoongi provokes him.</p><p>"And what do you think would happen to us on land? That good-for-nothing human king knows who we are. And you trust him to just let us go?" Seunghyun jabs his index finger in Yoongi's chest, "And you want us all to die for that sister who couldn't even keep herself low even on land? The shark finds her and she dies! With the whole merfolk. Or. Father hands her over and we live."</p><p>"Hyung!" Namjoon yells angrily for the first time on Seunghyun, "You wouldn't even be sitting on the throne after father if he knew this is what you think about Lalisa. We are supposed to protect her!"</p><p>"Protect one half mermaid and what?! Put the whole merfolk in peril?"</p><p>"You are right," Yoongi speaks and Namjoon looks at him in disbelief, "I shouldn't trust humans."</p><p>'Oh.' Namjoon thinks. For a moment he thought, Yoongi agreed with Seunghyun about Lalisa.</p><p>"Hyung?" Namjoon asks puzzled when Yoongi starts walking in the opposite direction.</p><p>"I am heading to the palace Namjoon. Seunghyun hyung is right. I cannot trust humans."</p><p>"But father - "</p><p>"Stay close to Seunghyun hyung. Don't let him near the sea." Yoongi commands and disappears.</p><p>Seunghyun rolls his eyes at his younger brother.</p><p>Not like Yoongi did not trust Seunghyun with Lalisa. He knew Seunghyun was short tempered and said things he did not mean. But if he was being serious about going to the sea, Namjoon will stop him. They can't afford to loose their future king, and their eldest hyung.</p><p> </p><p>Jungkook follows Wook, and every step he takes towards the palace, makes his stomach churn. His thoughts all tangled so much that he is not able to come up with any idea for saving his sister as well as the humans. He cannot kill innocent humans. They are not even responsible for what happened and is happening.</p><p>If he kills the land king himself, will not his people suffer? But he has to save his sister.</p><p>Wook would turn this piece of land into hell.</p><p>What am I doing? Yes, I want to save my sister. But killing innocent lives is not how I should do it....</p><p>This is not what my hyungs have taught me. This is not what father would want me to do. Where are you all?</p><p>"I know you can do it Jungkook," Yoongi had told him the day he was coming to the land to find Wook, "We have raised you well. You are stronger than you think. I know you won't disappoint us." Seokjin hyung had smiled ruffling his hair.</p><p>I am a disappointment, ain't I hynug? I was not careful enough and I underestimated our enemy.</p><p>Jungkook snaps out of self pity and shakes his head. What am I doing?</p><p>Jungkook furrows his eyebrows in anger and looks at Wook's back determined. This is not who he is. He will not give up and he certainly won't harm innocents. He has to fight Wook.</p><p>Jungkook stops following Wook and Wook turns to look at him.</p><p>Wook notices the look in Jungkook's eyes and steps back. Jungkook smirks when he senses fear.</p><p>"You know you will loose your sister forever if you harm me right? And to get her back safe, you are supposed to kill the royal family."</p><p>Jungkook have had enough. He was not someone who you would order around. No. Wook was just provoking him more and more. Who was he to command the prince?</p><p>Jungkook throws his trident at Wook's foot and Wook falls on his buttom, hissing in pain, trying to get the trident out of his foot. He watches in horror as Jungkook, even before he could react, starts punching him and he tries to get him off his body.</p><p>Jungkook holds Wook's hair forcefully, "I will spare you if you get her back right now."</p><p>"My people will kill her if you kill me," Wook hisses, the fear gone, "Right now, she is with fifty men. And who knows? Some might join if they hear her cry."</p><p>Jungkook punches Wook in the face and lets out a painful scream.</p><p>Wook pushes him away, "The sooner you eliminate the royal family, Lalisa -"</p><p>Wook stops when Jungkook punches the land angrily.</p><p>Where are you hyung? I need you. What am I supposed to do?</p><p>Jungkook gets up slowly, not able to picture his sister anywhere near men. How am I supposed to save her? Is this the only way?</p><p> </p><p>"How did you get here?" Taehyung helps Lalisa get out of the barrel, his eyes wide and filled with concern.</p><p>His eyes scans her face and the rest of her to check for any possible injury. What happened?</p><p>She looks exhausted and scared at the same time. She looks around her confusingly and again looks at Taehyung, holding her elbows. Lalisa stumbles back, away from Taehyung immediately taking his hand away from hers and stares at him as if his touch burned her.</p><p>This is the first time I am talking to her, and, like this...? This is the closest I have been to her, but, this is not how I thought I would get close.</p><p>"Are you alright?" Taehyung steps ahead but stops when he notices Lalisa stepping back, "What happe - " His voice is cut off when he hears a loud bang, with people screaming curses and the whole ship shakes.</p><p>"Stay here! Don't come out." Taehyung commands hurriedly, assuming what might have happened and runs out.</p><p>The pirate ship had attacked them and their mast was already broken with one soldier dead even before the battle begun. Half of the pirates were already on their ship, attacking his men. He glances over at Hoseok who is killing pirates on the pirate ship.</p><p>Taehyung locks his jaw and takes a knife out from his waist band aiming it directly at a pirate's head who is about to attack Luhan from behind him. His knife kills the pirate immediately and he gains the attention of a pirate with one eye and half leg beside the dead body of the pirate he just killed.</p><p>The half legged pirate smiles sickly and lunges forward at Taehyung, his sword cutting through the air and stopping with a loud clink when met with Taehyung's. Taehyung pushes the pirate's sword away and swings his own to aim for his neck but the pirate is fast enough to stop him mid air and shove Taehyung in the wooden wall of his cabin.</p><p>That was fast.</p><p>The pirate wastes no time and swings his sword above his head to kill Taehyung and move to his next prey. Taehyung grabs the opportunity to swing his sword and cut the arm of the pirate which is holding the sword. The pirate screams and Taehyung cuts off his throat next, immediately attacking another pirate making his way towards him.</p><p>He kills every pirate coming his way and swears to not let anymore of his men die.</p><p>He heads for the main mast fighting everyone off, where Luhan is and kills the pirate Luhan was fighting, "Don't be careless Luhan! This is a war. Don't make me worry for you and keep looking at you when I fight. You are distracting me."</p><p>Taehyung kills another pirate who was aiming for Luhan, "You need to look everywhere."</p><p>The screams and men swearing fills the air and Taehyung fails to notice Lalisa is no more where she was told to be.</p><p> </p><p>Lalisa looks at the figure going out of the dark room she is in.</p><p>Was he involved? Did he tie me in here? But he looked concerned. He was confused when he saw me. And how am I supposed to believe those innocent green eyes want to harm me?</p><p>Lalisa thinks. She looks around herself again.</p><p>Where am I? I have to get out of here. I must save the baby.</p><p>Lalisa decides she will not think about where she was and what had happened and why she was abducted. For now, she was not tied and inside a barrel anymore and there was no one around. She must run.</p><p>The screams of men reach Lalisa's ears when she stops thinking, making her heart pound. The floor beneath her moves, making her stumble.</p><p>Earthquake?</p><p>Is that why everyone is screaming and crying?</p><p>She  pushes the door open from where the man who just untied her had gone.</p><p>She stops breathing and thinking looking at the sea in front of her. Everything feels like is happening in a slow motion for her and yet feels like whatever happening is happening very fast. She looks at the sea horrified.</p><p>One thing. Just one thing. I was told to never go to the sea and I couldn't even do that! I disappointed my father and the merfolk again. This is the end.</p><p>She feels anger raising inside her, cursing the people who might have sent her here.</p><p>She looks around and pales even more. The man she had thought was innocent and a good human being is killing people mercilessly. And not only him, everyone here are killing each other!</p><p>He is a monster. Lalisa thinks and steps back closing his eyes when he kills another human.</p><p>Why did I have to witness this? Why can't humans be trusted? Why cannot they live in peace? And why am I on a ship!</p><p> </p><p>"A woman!" Taehyung hears a pirate laugh menacingly and his eyes widen in fear when they land on Lalisa standing on the quarterdeck, opposite to him looking at him.</p><p>I told you not to come out!</p><p>He slams his fists in the chest of a pirate nearing him and then his sword kills him.</p><p>The pirate who just saw Lalisa licks his lower lip moving to her.</p><p>Taehyung increases his pace and is stopped when another pirate attacks him. Taehyung keeps his eyes on Lalisa trying to kill the pirate attacking him.</p><p>His sword penetrates inside the pirate's stomach and Taehyung does not wastes his time taking it out and moving his feet to get to Lalisa.</p><p>He holds her hand, "I told you not to get out!" he whispers and is about to pull Lalisa to get her to his cabin when the pirate who had seen Lalisa come out, lunges his sword at Taehyung.</p><p>Taehyung gets no time to think as he witnesses a dagger getting pierced into the pirates chest and he falls down.</p><p>He looks at Lalisa, surprised, whose hand is still hanging in the air.</p><p>The surprised look vanishes when he notices the look in her eyes. As if she is thinking of herself to be some criminal. Oh, how direly he wants her to be proud of herself, but now is not the time.</p><p> </p><p>"I am your only redemption, prince. You have two simple choices. Your sister or the human royal family." Wook smiles wickedly.</p><p>But Jungkook had already made his decision.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Heyy!! Would anyone please leave a comment telling me how my work has been so far?</p><p>I would really appreciate that :)</p><p>I have no idea if whoever is reading this book is liking it or not.....</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Taehyung looks at Lalisa from the quarter deck with Hoseok beside her trying to comfort her. Apparently, she is scared of Taehyung and herself. Taehyung looks at her shaking figure, worried.</p><p>Hoseok had told her they were just pirates trying to attack them and whatever she did was right. She had not uttered a single word and refused to eat or drink anything. Taehyung had no idea who had put her in a barrel and sent in the ship. He would never doubt his men. It has to be someone else. And he did not feel right to ask Lalisa about it now. She was already scared after looking at all the dead bodies and blood. And to top it all, she killed the pirate captain.</p><p>Few of Taehyung's men were in the infirmary while others were resting. It was better to not make Lalisa even more scared than she already is.</p><p>Taehyung motions Hoseok to take her to his cabin.</p><p>"You should rest for now. We will heed back soon." Hoseok tells her and in return, Lalisa does not even move, staring off at the sea.</p><p>Taehyung sighs and looks at the sea where Lalisa is staring. Hoseok comes beside him, "She won't tell anything."</p><p>"Let her be. She is already not doing well with her kidnapping."</p><p> </p><p>Lalisa looks at the sea, fearing what might happen next. She does not want to die at such a young age. And no one even knows where she is. They won't even know if she is alive or already dead. And they wouldn't even find her dead body.</p><p>She had seen a lots of ships break and sink from under the sea. It was the first time she had witnessed what actually causes them to break and sink, with a lot of dead humans.</p><p>The man with a warm smile tried assuring her that everything was fine and they would send her to the land safely. But will they still take her back safely if they'd discover she is a mermaid? Or will they beat her till her eyes dry out and she has no more pearls to shed?</p><p>Lalisa shivers at the thought and looks at the man with green eyes looking back at her. <i>Had I not smiled at him before? Had I not let myself relax in his presence before? I had felt a strong force luring me to him. I want to trust him. I really want to. But I am not sure. What if, he..</i></p><p>Lalisa looks down at her palms, not able to stare in those innocent and alluring green eyes any longer.<i> Hyung would be very furious if he finds out where I am. He would kill all the men here.</i></p><p>It reminds Lalisa of the human she killed today. She had not meant to. But he was aiming at those innocent green eyes and she felt an urgent need to save them. It was nothing but she had really wanted him to be safe, even if he was a threat to her.</p><p>She saw the dagger clinging to the green eyed man's clothes and she had taken it to stab the pirate as fast as her hands could. And she succeeded. She had felt terrible at first, but the fear of being in the sea, although in a vessel, was far more greater than killing a human. She had put the lives of whole merfolk in danger again. Moreover, she was responsible for the safety of the little mermaid.</p><p><i>It's getting dark.</i> Lalisa thinks looking at the sky.</p><p>"It's getting dark," She looks at the man with green eyes looking into her jade ones, "Take it while I am offering you." He says, tilting his head slightly towards his cabin.</p><p>The man with a warm smile had told her before to rest in the cabin, but she did not want to get in a closed space again. Not at least for a while.</p><p>Lalisa keeps staring at the cabin.</p><p>"I know you are scared. But I won't eat you." The green eyed man mutters in a low voice for Lalisa not to hear, rolling his eyes. Lalisa smiles the faintest of her smiles, as being a mermaid, she clearly heard it.</p><p>"And at least say a yes or no woman!" He continues muttering after a short pause.</p><p>'I would have responded you if only my words would not come out slurred. And. If I could speak with proper words.' She thinks and smiles just a bit wider and looks the other way so that he wouldn't see her smiley face.</p><p>She had finally managed to control the color changing of her hair. If she would have been in the sea, with the merfolk, her hair color would have changed to light pink because of her smile.</p><p>The ship starts dancing furiously as if someone is pushing and punching it. Lalisa looks in horror as the water droplets fall on the deck.</p><p>'NO!'</p><p>'They will know I am a mermaid if water touches me.'</p><p>The waves get angrier and Lalisa looks up to watch the clouds getting darker. It's going to rain!</p><p>"Would you drench in rain but not trust me?" He asks looking at her expectantly.</p><p>'Well, if I weren't a mermaid, yes I would.'</p><p>The angry waves push the ship to the right side, making Lalisa fall just when she gets up.</p><p> </p><p>Taehyung winces as she falls on the deck, her brown hair falling to cover her face.</p><p>He strides towards her, trying to hide his laughter and helps her stand up. She looks at his hand holding her arm and Taehyung thinks she would shrug her arm out of his, but she doesn't. She instead lets Taehyung guide her to the cabin, with Taehyung still holding her arm.</p><p>"Rest in here. We will reach soon." He informs her, entering the cabin and letting her sit on his bed.</p><p>Lalisa just nods in response, not looking at him. Lalisa had wanted to ask how he knew her name, when she heard it slip from his lips today while helping her out of the barrel. Lalisa remembers seeing him at the shore standing beside her sand castle, and she had felt as if he had called out for her. Jimin had later told her that he had written her name on the sand. 'That is how you know my name...' She thinks.</p><p>"Are you mute?" Taehyung finally asks, considering how she has not uttered even a single word yet. And he actually wanted to listen to her voice.</p><p>Lalisa looks up into his eyes giving away nothing. 'No. But you talk a lot.' She thinks and looks away.</p><p>"Ya. Is that how you say 'thank you' to someone who is protecting you and helping you?" He asks innocently, making Lalisa look away and smile again. Taehyung smiles when he sees her smiling.</p><p>'I saved you'. Lalisa thinks her smile the same.</p><p>"Okay, you saved me, but now I am protecting you and taking you back to your home safe." Taehyung says when he remembers Lalisa killing the pirate captain who was attacking him.</p><p>Her smile falters and she looks up at him stunned. 'You can hear me? You can hear my thoughts?'</p><p>"What?" Taehyung asks looking down at Lalisa's big round eyes. He wonders if he had said something wrong for Lalisa to look at him the way she is doing.</p><p>'Oh. You can't. It's not even possible for a human to hear a mermaids thoughts. Unless...' Lalisa looks out of the porthole at the sea, 'Unless they fall in love.'</p><p> </p><p>"You will never find her in time prince! Either my men will finish her within half a day if they don't hear about the king's death, or the sharks will find her before you reach her." Wook smirks when Jungkook decides not to follow him to the palace but to go to the sea by himself and save his sister.</p><p>"There's no other way. Either one has to die today," Wook continues, now right behind Jungkook. "You go after Lalisa, you lose both. You come after me, you could at least save one."</p><p>Jungkook shuts his eyes, making his decision.</p><p> </p><p>"I shouldn't have trusted these greedy and filthy humans!" The sea king fumes. "Anything from Jiyong?" He asks Seokjin.</p><p>Seokjin shakes his head. They are in a room of the hanok they use when they come to the land.</p><p>"Seunghyun? Did he send all mermen?" He asks further.</p><p>"Father, a bunch of mermen refuse to obey you. They have switched sides." Seokjin asnwers.</p><p>"Eliminate them!" He commands and Sehun looks up at his father shocked. It is the first time their father has commanded his sons to eliminate this many mermen! "When their wok is done and are of no use to the shark demon, they are going to get eaten by him nonetheless."</p><p><i>Wouldn't that mean, we will have lesser people to fight with the sharks?</i> Seokhin thinks, worried.</p><p>"Mother - "</p><p>"Let her be at jackson's house for now." The king cuts off Seokjin.</p><p>Seokjin looks into his fathers sad eyes looking at the talisman in his ring finger. The king has never let the talisman out of his finger and Seokjin remembers it to be there after when he was five years old. Seokjin's head starts hurting looking at the talisman, a series of blur pictures running through his mind.</p><p>
  <i>The pictures of seeing a bundle of red cloth in his fathers hand when his father was young. He sees young Seunghyun glaring at the bundle of red cloth.</i>
</p><p> </p><p>Yoongi kncoks off the guards at the palace unconscious when they try to stop him from entering.</p><p>He stares in disbelief as Jungkook fights an army of the human king, killing all the soldiers attacking him. <i>I knew I shouldn't have trusted the human king! First Lalisa, and now my brother!</i> Yoongi's angry eyes search for the king.</p><p>A lady in a snow white colored hanbok catches Yoongi's attention, as she runs with a man and an older woman towards the cart. Yoongi ignores them, averting his attention to the men following them with tridents.</p><p>
  <i>Tridents?!</i>
</p><p>Yoongi's eyes widen in realization. The king really abducted Lalisa!</p><p>The whole palace looks chaotic. The mermen who had disguised themselves as human soldiers and had been living on land are killing the kings real soldiers.</p><p>Yoongi knows, that with half of the land kings men turning against the land king himself, would leave him no choice but to leave his palace.</p><p>He swings his trident to lock the sword of a soldier attacking him, and throws it away, knocking off the soldier.</p><p>Yoongi sees a platoon ushering the king away. He pushes the soldier fighting him away and runs in the direction of the king.</p><p>Wook smirks, from a distance, "If not the 7th prince, then the 4th prince." He whispers.</p><p>Wook's eyes widen in horror when he realizes the 4th prince is going after him and not the king.</p><p>"You snake!" Yoongi hisses making Jungkook look at his direction.</p><p>Just as Yoongi is about to throw his trident at Wook, he hears Jungkook scream, "Hyung, no!"</p><p>Yoongi looks at him confused, and then he senses it. Jungkook isn't just fighting human soldiers! He was fighting the mermen disguised as human soldiers! They all switched sides?!</p><p>'These mermen, Wook bought them!' Jungkook says so that only Yoongi could hear, fighting off a merman. 'They think shark demon would spare them if they work for him.'</p><p>Yoongi stares in disbelief at his merpeople. <i>They think that demon would spare them?! These people actually betrayed father?! They are working for this scoundrel?!</i> Yoongi thinks looking at Wook disgusted. <i>My father would give his life to protect these filthy fish?!</i></p><p>"Then he deserves to rot in hell!" Yoongi glares at Wook, killing the merman fighting him.</p><p>'Hyung!' Jungkook pleads. 'Trust me. Leave him for now. We wouldn't find Lalisa if something happens to him.'</p><p> </p><p>"Your Majesty!" A merman comes in panting, and bows to the sea king, "The 4th prince," the sea king gets up to his feet expectantly, hoping they have found Lalisa, "and the 7th prince, they are attacked by the palace guards! And human soldiers."</p><p>The sea king's eyes turn from expectant to furious.</p><p>Seokjing looks at Sehun confused. Why would they do that?</p><p>"Kim!" The sea king roars, accusing the land king. "Tell the princes' and the merfolk to heed towards the palace!" <i>I wouldn't have bothered you. But you made a grave mistake troubling my sons! You knew I cannot see my children suffer!</i></p><p> </p><p>'Forgive me hyung. I couldn't protect her. Wook wants the human throne. He would spare Lalisa if he gets it.' Jungkook tell Yoongi throwing his trident at the soldier coming after him.</p><p>'And you bought that? Are you out of your mind Jungkook?! You think that rat would keep his word?!'</p><p>'I had no choice. He sent her to the sea,' As soon as those words slip out of Jungkook's mind, Yoongi stiffens and a merman manages to graze his arm. 'with men. If they don't hear about the human king's death, they would...'</p><p>Yoongi swings his sword slicing the neck of the merman ahead of him.</p><p>Yoongi looks back to see who Jungkook is fighting with for three minutes straight. <i>Who can stop him for so long?</i> He notices Wook smirking and the mermen trying to keep the human soldiers away from Jungkook and the man he is fighting. It does not take long for Yoongi to realize his brother is fighting with the crown prince.   </p><p>That explains why Wook instructed his men to stop attacking Jungkook and prevent humans from getting near. Jungkook was finally doing what Wook wanted. Yoongi shakes his head in disbelief.</p><p>Yoongi was here to confront the human king. But now he knows humans aren't responsible for Lalisa. His own people had betrayed him. It wasn't the king, but his own merfolk. <i>Is this how merfolk ends?</i> He thinks, looking at his mermen killing hundreds of humans and turning against their own sea king.</p><p>'Jungkook..' Yoongi calls out in a low voice, but Jungkook does not pay any heed.</p><p>Just as Yoongi is about to go to him, his eyes find Wook, who commands something to a merman with bow and arrow and runs away.</p><p>Yoongi's face pales when the merman aims at Jungkook.</p><p>Yoongi fails to reach or at least warn Jungkook to step aside when the arrow leaves the bow.</p><p> </p><p>Wook was informed that the sea king was heeding towards the palace to confront the land king. And he knew, it wouldn't take long before the youngest land prince returns with Lalisa. No one would believe him. He must finish the land king before they know it was a trap!</p><p>He has to kill the land king before the sea king reaches him with his people. He can finish the youngest land prince once he sits on the throne.</p><p>He knows, that if the sea king reaches the palace, he would know his sons weren't attacked. <i>He would also know that land king is innocent and I abducted Lalisa. And the land king will never get eliminated.</i></p><p>Moreover, the merpeople, who he had managed to manipulate, would not work for him anymore.</p><p>His dream will remain only a dream. He must reach the king sooner.</p><p>He has succeeded in eliminating one prince. The other was on the way. And the land king...</p><p>It shouldn't take long.</p><p> </p><p>Lalisa opens her eyes when she hears a soft knock on the door. She sits up straight when Taehyung opens the door to the cabin and steps inside.</p><p>"We have reached." He smiles.</p><p>
  <i>But I thought we weren't going to reach for another day?</i>
</p><p>Taehyung just looks at Lalisa's confused face and nods, closing the door and disappearing again.</p><p>Lalisa looks out of the porthole, the land appearing and for the first time she feels revealed to leave the sea and see land again. <i>Don't worry father. I am going back. I am safe. Someone protected me.</i> And she smiles picturing green smiling eyes.<i> I hope you come to land sooner, father.</i></p><p> </p><p>"You really do things for her, don't you?" Hoseok shakes his head at Taehyung.</p><p>"Ya! What? It is not proper to keep a woman on a ship full of men for so long." He scowls.</p><p>Taehyung had really wanted to spend a whole day with Lalisa. He wanted to go further in the sea and then go back to the land. He wanted to know her better. He wanted her to feel free and at peace with him. Just like how he felt around her.</p><p>But he knew, Lalisa was uncomfortable and wouldn't want that. She certainly would want to go back to her home after such a tragic incident with her. She must be scared. And worried. Even her family must be worried about her.</p><p>He would definitely spend time with her. But not like this. He would do it when she would want to.</p><p>Taehyung did not even ask what had happened and how she was in the barrel and who wanted to harm her.</p><p>He decided to investigate about it and punish the culprit himself once he reaches his empire.</p><p> </p><p>After almost half and hour they reach and Lalisa jumps out of the bed, suppressing the happy squeal threatening to leave her lips. She gets out of the cabin smiling brightly, wanting to be in the safety of her jungkook hyung's arms at once.</p><p>She feels eyes on her but ignores all except the green ones looking at her, happy for her.</p><p>She runs to his side, not wanting other pairs of eyes on her, and just like she expected, all the eyes look away when she reaches the green ones. She looks ahead at the land, not wanting to wait any longer, and swimming off to Rose's hanok.</p><p>She feels the green eyes still looking at her, "You aren't even a bit thankful, are you?" He asks.</p><p>She looks into those green eyes for a moment. The giddy feeling she has always had because of fear or worse, today it was somehow different. She wanted to look in those eyes for a moment longer for the first time since she has seen them. But she looks away.</p><p>'Thank you.' She thinks.</p><p>She watches as his expression changes to a surprised look, "Did you just thank me?" He asks.</p><p>'You heard me?' Lalisa looks up at him, shocked again.</p><p>"Never mind. You'd never say that." He says.<i> I just thought I heard her voice. Did my mind just make that up? Am I that desperate to listen to her speak to me? That I am listening voices in my own head? But... that voice was... beautiful.</i> Taehyung thinks smiling to himself.</p><p> </p><p>Jimin had been taking care of the mermaid since morning. He knew he would have to take care of her for a few more days. And he was growing restless every passing second.</p><p>He wanted to get out of his own house where he was feeling trapped, it was suffocating him. He wanted, no, needed to get out of those four walls which were closing in, making it hard for him to breathe.</p><p>He had thought it was evening and no one would be around. No one knew him anyway. So he went with the little mermaid, covered in a cloth, in his arms to the shore.</p><p>But he had not expected to see what he was witnessing now.</p><p>Jimin looks at the big ship dumbstruck, as Lalisa gets out it and wait. Is that the prince?</p><p>Jimin had never seen the youngest prince. But any fool will know that a crew in such a royal ship would certainly be that of a prince. And he definitely was not the crown prince. It has to be the youngest prince. The 3rd prince!</p><p>Wow. It weren't rumors and people weren't joking when they said the youngest prince looks like a dream. The most handsome face anyone has witnessed. Now that Jimin finally saw him, he understood what people meant.</p><p>Jimin does not know what Lalisa is doing with the prince. But the way prince looks at her, Jimin knows what might be going on. But, where did they go? And with soldiers?</p><p>Jimin watches as a soldier goes running towards the prince and tells him something that makes his soft features turn into stone.</p><p>"They even killed the crown prince." Jimin stiffens when he hears a woman passing by telling to another in a scared voice.</p><p>"Are you sure they were mermen?" Another asks, and Jimin feels his hands shake and go cold. He looks back at where the prince was with his soldiers but finds no one.</p><p>
  <i>Is that what the soldier told the prince? Th-the mermen? Jung...kook...</i>
</p><p>Jimin looks down at the little mermaid in his hands in horror. His hands shaking.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yoongi looks at the figure laying down in front of his eyes, dead. He contemplates whether he should be revealed that it wasn't his brother whom the arrow had pierced into or alarmed for it was the crown prince laying dead.</p><p>Yoongi then realizes, they are surrounded with the dead bodies of human soldiers and all the mermen that had attacked the palace were gone. It was only the dead crown prince, Jungkook and him in the big palace.</p><p>'Hyung?'  Jungkook glances over at Yoongi, stepping away from the crown prince's dead body, a hint of horror across his face. 'He did not want the - '</p><p>"Throne," Yoongi calls out loud. His voice reverberating across the empty palace. "He does want it Jungkook. We made a mistake. Lalisa is not in the sea! Where is the king?"</p><p>"Father?" Jungkook asks.</p><p>"Both of them. Father would definitely go after the land king. We need to stop him." Yoongi sprints in the direction of where he saw the lady in snow white colored hanbok go with a woman, who Yoongi can only guess to be the land queen.</p><p>How did I even believe Wook's made up story?! If Wook had to kill her, he would have done it the day he saw her in the village! Lalisa is safe. She has to be! Wook knows no one can save merfolk or even humans from the shark devil except for Lalisa! And even if she is someplace far from us, Wook wouldn't dare kill her. And I doubt Wook does not know that the shark devil will eliminate him once he is done with Lalisa. Wook knows that. Any brainless ignorant creature would know that!</p><p>Yoongi runs as fast as his legs could take him.</p><p>We can't let the human realm disappear just like that. If the Joseon king dies and the reason is merfolk, no human empire would help merfolk. No one would believe us. Yuan, Wakoku would be the witnesses to the world of Wook's sins. And Wook, ultimately, is a merman.</p><p>The world will not differentiate between a good merman and an evil merman. The merfolk, for the human world, will be monsters.</p><p>Yoongi can see the frightened humans running away from the palace. They already think of merfolk to be monsters who killed their crown prince and soldiers.</p><p>As far as Yoongi knows, the land king had only two sons. One was dead in the past and another, killed today. Yoongi is least concerned with who will ascend the throne after the land king with both of his sons dead. All he is thinking about right now, is protecting both, humans and his merfolk. Human king being his priority.</p><p>"Jungkook!" Yoongi calls out to his younger brother following behind him. "I can feel Lalisa near us! She is within reach! Find her! And tell father to stay where he is. I don't want merfolk king to be involved in land's royal family murder. It's an order!" Yoongi commands his confused brother, leaving no room for any argument.</p><p>Jungkook obeys without questioning his hyung. He trusts his hyung with his life.</p><p> </p><p>Rose wraps her hands around Lalisa's neck, revealed.</p><p>"Thank heavens you are alright! You scared us!" Rose whisper screams, holding Lalisa's arms and scanning her face, then her body.</p><p>"I scared me too." Lalisa sighs.</p><p>"How - where - Prince - "</p><p>"Slow down." Lalisa smiles. Lalisa herself hadn't expected to see Rose or anyone's face after finding herself in that barrel. If it wasn't for the green eyed man...</p><p>Lalisa decides to tell Rose where she was and what had happened later.</p><p>The moment she had stepped on land, she planned on running off to Rose's house. But she knew the green eyed man might follow. She had waited for whole two minutes when someone came running to the green eyed man and had announced something that made his face go pale. It was for the first time she had seen something near to horror and fear in his beautiful green eyes.</p><p>The green eyed man and the man with a warm simle had already helped her a lot. In fact they had saved her life! Lalisa did not want to intrude any further and had ran off to Rose's house.</p><p>The first thing she had asked when she reached was about the little mermaid. She relaxed only when Rose told her that the prince had found her, and she was safe. But they did not know where the 7th prince was.</p><p>Jackson had immediately went to the palace to inform the prince about Lalisa.</p><p>"His majesty - "</p><p>"Father." Lalisa interrupts Rose. "Did Jungkook hyung worry him by informing him about me?"</p><p>"He was already on the land. His majesty with all the prince's are here, on land. It's a mess. No one has a clue about what is happening. Villagers say, the palace was attacked by mermen. After you went missing, all merpeople were informed to heed towards the palace." Rose tries to explain. Not knowing the sequence of events herself.</p><p>"The palace?! Why? Attacked?!"</p><p>"I am not sure why. His majesty thinks you were abducted by the land king. I have heard the crown prince and half of the royal family is already dead. I do not know how much of it is rumor and - "</p><p>"No! Take me there! Father has to stop! I am fine." Lalisa's eyes widen at the thought of her father getting furious and killing innocents to find his daughter.</p><p>"Wait, even I do not know if whatever I said is true. These are the things I heard from people. This might not even be true."</p><p>Lalisa had expected a lot of things. But her father attacking the palace never crossed her mind.</p><p>Before Lalisa could make any decision or think about running to her father, the familiar cries reach her ears and she looks at the direction of the door, expecting her Jungkook hyung to appear.</p><p>When no one enters the house, she strides to the door impatiently only to stop and look at the little mermaid at her door, wrapped in a red cloth, looking up at her. Her watery eyes twinkling up at her in the moonlight.</p><p>"Hyung?!" She calls out. She picks up the little mermaid in her arms, looking at Rose, gesturing her to take her to the tub of water.</p><p>Rose does as said and watches Lalisa get out of the house just in time to stop her, "Lalisa! Please!"</p><p>"Wasn't she supposed to be with Jungkook hyung? Where is he?" She asks looking back at Rose urgently, wanting to hurry and look for her Jungkook hyung who might have went to the palace leaving the little mermaid behind, obeying their father thinking the king had abducted her.</p><p>"Why was she with a human!" The queen comes down the stairs yelling, looking at the little mermaid accusingly. As if the little creature had legs to go to a human by herself.</p><p>"A human? Did you not say she was safe with Jungkook hyung?!" Lalisa asks and then covers her face considering the possibility of the little mermaid never being rescued and 'she is safe' being a rumor.</p><p>"The human shouldn't have reached far." The queen says eyeing her bow and heeding out of the house.</p><p>It takes Lalisa and Rose five whole seconds to realize that the queen mother that shot the human who was with the little mermaid.</p><p>Rose looks at Lalisa worried.</p><p>"Well, if he tortured my little sister, he deserves whatever punishment the queen gives him," Lalisa shrugs. "And I witnessed everything. They way they pierced needles into her just for some pearls, and...." she trails off.</p><p>"Forgive me to speak against her majesty and your highness," Rose bows. "but, if that human bought her back to us, does that not mean he saved her?"</p><p>Lalisa ponders over it and shakes her head, "Why abduct her in first place?"</p><p>"What if - " Rose gives up explaining and begs Lalisa to stop her majesty. They cannot afford someone else missing, not the queen.</p><p>Even if whatever Rose had heard was a rumor, Rose knew the news about the little mermaid being in safe hands was true. If the little mermaid was not with the prince, she certainly had to be with someone the prince trusted. And if that was the case, the queen was just about to kill someone trusted by the prince.</p><p> </p><p>Jimin looks down at the little mermaid, his eyes moving rapidly across her face, glued to the place where he saw Lalisa with the youngest prince and then heard the scandal about the crown prince's death.</p><p>"Jihyun..." he whispers.</p><p>Jimin did not know what the little mermaid's name was. This afternoon, he was looking at her beautiful tail, and talking with her - although she couldn't speak and did not pay attention to whatever Jimin asked or said. She just laughed when her little brain thought Jimin was funny, even when he was serious.</p><p>Jimin was talking to himself, and he knew it. He kept blabbering things like - "What do you eat? What do you play? Who do you play with? Do you like me? Am I good friend? No one has ever come into my house before and you have got the privilege of not only coming in but also staying for a few days! What is your name? What should I call you? You don't even talk. And how will you? You are so...small. Even if you have a name, I don't know what it is. Jungkook - your father - didn't even tell me what your name was. If I am going to look after you for a few days, if nothing else, I at least have the right to know your name. I don't even know what's going on. I just know he has gone to search his sister... And I hope she is safe and he finds her. So that you all can go back to the sea. I promise I won't tell anyone that I saw a mermaid and a merman. People are bad these days, you know? How would you know... Let me think of a name for you. When you go back to the sea, you will have at least a name given by me as a memory. Even if I don't like mermen... Jungkook seems to be a good merman, I hope he is... Umm, how about... Jihyun? I had a sister... Her name was Jihyun. She was beautiful... Just like you" Jimin had said and smiled to the creature in his arms.</p><p>He had prayed for nothing bad to happen, for Jungkook to be a good merman. And here he was, listening to the villagers about the death of their crown prince.</p><p>He had hoped for it to be only a rumor. But he kept feeling it was anything but a rumor.</p><p>What is he supposed to do? He knows, if the crown prince is dead, then there are a lot of mermen on land already. He knows it's too late now. It's going to happen again.</p><p>No. I must save them. I can't let this happen. I cannot let any child suffer like I did. No one deserves to live like I lived. No one deserves loneliness. They cannot just kill the families!</p><p>"Jihyun... I hope Jungkook is a good merman and is not involved in any of this. Whatever I am about to do... it's..." Jimin does not complete whatever he was about to say and instead pulls the little mermaid closer to his chest and goes in the opposite direction of where the prince went.</p><p>Jimin reaches Rose's house and stops at the doorstep.</p><p>"Did Jungkook hyung worry him by informing him about me?" Jimin hears a familiar voice ask. Jungkook hyung? It hits Jimin that Jungkook had told him his sister was missing and now he was hearing Lalisa talk about Jungkook. But there could be a lot of people named Jungkook.</p><p>Jimin decides to eavesdrop.</p><p>"He was already on the land. His majesty with all the prince's are here, on land. It's a mess. No one has a clue about what is happening. Villagers say, the palace was attacked by mermen. After you went missing, all merpeople were informed to heed towards the palace." The next voice that he hears makes his knees go weak. Rose?</p><p>Jimin suddenly feels like all the pieces falling right into their places and he shivers. Lalisa had went missing. And... Jungkook is her brother. Jungkook had been looking for Lalisa. She is a... princess? A mermaid princess...? Jungkook... the prince. And, the king and the prince's have attacked the palace...</p><p>Jungkook... he is not what Jimin had thought was.</p><p>Jimin looks down at Jihyun, a tear drop flowing down his right cheek.</p><p>"I was wrong Jihyun." He tries to whisper but his voice seems to not come out.</p><p>He bends to put her down by the doorstep of Rose's house, a sense of betrayal by his only friends in this world making him shiver.</p><p>Rose, Lalisa, Jackson, they are all...</p><p>Why did you lie to me? I had only you...</p><p>Jimin still couldn't believe what he had just heard. The creatures he loathed the most were his friends and he had no clue. They have been lying to him, betraying him since day one!</p><p>Rose said Lalisa was from Yuan. That was a lie too.</p><p>Jimin steps back, and keeps stepping backward till he stumbles on his own foot and then starts running away shaking his head, his cheeks wet with the tears he had been shedding.</p><p>Liar!</p><p>I trusted you!</p><p>You were my only friends!</p><p>You took advantage -</p><p>Jimin's thoughts are interrupted when he feels a sharp pain shoot up the calf of his right leg and he falls down to his knees.</p><p>He looks back at the blood covering his right leg and the arrow pierced into it.</p><p>He looks up at the direction from where the arrow came from, his eyes widening, showing a mixture of horror, disbelief and betrayal.</p><p>He looks at the woman standing at the window looking down at him, smirking.</p><p>Jimin wastes no time and breaks the stick of the arrow and lets the half broken arrow be in his leg so that it would keep the blood from flowing at least a bit less, hissing in the process.</p><p>He gets up and tries to run as fast as his injured leg would allow him now, groaning at the pain, the blood flowing out more as he runs.</p><p>Jimin lets his tears flow, his soft cries filing the air.</p><p>He finally reaches his farm and enters his house, locking the door behind and sits down removing the half broken arrow from the calf of his right leg, wincing and letting out a loud cry, not because the arrow hurt so much, but because the lies of his friends and the feeling of being betrayed by only people he trusted in this whole world.</p><p>He cleans his wound, and covers it.</p><p>Jimin rests his head by the wall behind him and lets his tears flow tonight, sitting on the floor, his tears sparkling in the moonlight that slid through the curtains of his window.</p><p> </p><p>Wook looks down at his work smirking. His trident faced downward - which in the merfolk world meant victory after the enemy's death - blood dripping down it. He laughs lowly when he hears footsteps behind him.</p><p>"You have done good work," Wook speaks to the mermen who had helped him eliminate the land king by killing his soldiers, "You all shall get your rewards," he gives a devilish lopsided grin looking down at the dead land king, "soon."</p><p>"Kneel before your king! Kneel to the  - " Wook stops mid sentence when he feels a sharp pain as a sword tears through his heart from the back and comes out from the front of his chest.</p><p>He wants to scream in pain but the black that engulfs him just after moments of the sword drawn out of him leaves no energy for even a small moan.</p><p> </p><p>Seokjin looks at the dead bodies of the humans in the palace and then at his father, shocked.</p><p>"What happened here?" Sehun whispers looking at the lifeless palace full of dead bodies.</p><p>"Jackson?" Seokjin startles looking at the panting and half crouched Jackson behind them.</p><p>"Your Majesty," Jackson stands up straight and whatever he was here for or whatever he was going to say, dies in his throat when he see what already is done.</p><p>I am too late. Jackson shakes his head.</p><p>We proved humans that we are monsters! His Majesty did not even try searching for his daughter and killed the royal family just like that! It's the first time I am ashamed of my own species.</p><p>"Hyung?" Sehun asks, looking at mourning Jackson.</p><p>Jackson then makes a poker face not looking into anyone's eyes and says, "Lalisa came back. She is fine." And with that he turns around not giving a second glance to the dead crown prince or the sea king and prince's.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A lady in a snow white colored hanbok, who Yoongi had noticed running out of the palace with someone, drops down to her knees looking at something in horror, tears spilling down her cheeks uncontrollably.</p><p>Yoongi finds himself wanting to go to her and soothe her.</p><p>Albeit having a bigger task at hand, Yoongi stops to see what had caused the beautiful lady look so much in pain.</p><p>Yoongi takes slow steps, looking at the men kneeling at some distance in front of the lady.</p><p>Yoongi then notices the dead king in fron of the lady and at the far end a familiar lifeless figure laying down with his face pressed in the land.</p><p>Wook.</p><p>Yoongi's eyes travel up the sword pointing at the ground beside Wook's body and the hard hands clutching it. The man in all black clothes is looking straight at nothing in particular, his jaw clenched tightly, his black hair covering his eyes which Yoongi even without looking into them can tell are deadly.</p><p>I am late... He killed the land king. Yoongi sighs frustrated.</p><p>The man in all black finally walks towards the lady, kneeling down beside the land king's body, crying her soul out. An aged woman, Yoongi had earlier guessed to be the queen covers her mouth to prevent a sob from spilling her lips.</p><p>"Jisso." the queen puts her hand on the lady - Jisso's - shoulder and pulls her closer to her chest.</p><p>"Hyung," Jisso looks up at the man in all black, now standing beside her, and holds his palm with both her hands, "Father." she then looks at the king and starts crying even more.</p><p>Wait. Father? Hyung?</p><p>She is the princess...?</p><p>And he is... the prince...?</p><p>But...</p><p>The prince gestures his men to take the king and they obey.</p><p>Jisso stays glued on the spot, crying.</p><p>"Jisso," the queen speaks, "Get up." she tries pulling her daughter up with her but fails, "Jisso..." she queen sounds heartbroken.</p><p>The prince waits for a moment and then bends down, not sitting wholly and wipes Jisso's tears with both his hands. He pulls her closer to his chest caressing her hair and then puts his right hand under the bend of her knees  and left hand under her shoulders and then picks her up lightly.</p><p>Jisso rests her head on the prince's shoulder, a new set of tears flowing down her rosy white cheeks.</p><p>"Not to palace." Yoongi hears the prince say to one of his men and startles.</p><p>Not to the palace? Then where?</p><p>"I want them all dead." Is the last thing Yoongi hears the land prince say and something in the land prince's voice makes Yoongi shiver.</p><p>Yoongi does not move a inch. He knows they have lost even before the war had begun. Not only the shark devil, now the human world would be against them too.</p><p>Yoongi hears someone screaming at some distance and he looks up to find the prince with the queen and the princess already out of sight.</p><p>He immediately runs in the direction of the cry, praying no more creatures to be dead, or being murdered.</p><p>But Wook's already dead. Even if someone is causing trouble, it wouldn't be any merman.</p><p>Much to Yoongi's disappointment and horror, it's not the mermen but two human men harassing a mermaid.</p><p>His eyes turn red and he throws his trident at the human slipping his hand under the mermaids hanbok. He strides towards them and the other human plunges himself at Yoongi.</p><p>Yoongi pushes him away and starts hitting the human. He hits him not only because he was guilty by what his people did to humans but also because he had wanted to take all his vexation on someone and this human was perfect to -</p><p>Human.</p><p>Yoongi realizes and gets up from the body of the human.</p><p>The man runs away, looking back at Yoongi twice.</p><p>Yoongi sits where he was crouched to beat the human, his mind covered with the thoughts of defeat and no hope remaining.</p><p>Is this how it ends? My people are suffering because of the deeds of my own family? Our people are suffering and will have to because of their own king and his family? I cannot even protect them knowing what storm is about to hit us!</p><p> </p><p>"I will ascend the human throne after we perform all the death rituals for the crown prince of land, the king of land and his family. Don't let Wook come anywhere near the palace." The sea king announces.</p><p>"Father this is not - "</p><p>The sea king lifts his hand silencing Namjoon who was about to protest, about to tell his father it isn't the right thing to do.</p><p>"If I do not sit there, it would be someone else, and that someone else - I assume wouldn't be the royal blood. He would simply ruin this empire. Kim wouldn't have wanted that."</p><p>Namjoon stares at his father in disbelief. He and his brothers have always obeyed their father and never questioned him. They have always felt and they knew all of their father's decisions were right and unquestionable.</p><p>Today somehow Namjoon not only felt, but knew something had changed. Something had switched. And his father's decision was wrong.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Outside Rose's house, Jungkook explains a displeased Jackson what exactly had happened at the palace. How Wook succeeded into fooling them and killed the land crown prince.</p><p>"I don't know about the king, I am supposed to - "</p><p>"It's too late." Jackson, for the first time, cuts off a prince to say something.</p><p>Jungkook looks at Jackson baffled.</p><p>"Wook killed the royal family." Jackson continues with a poker face, looking far away at nothing in particular.</p><p>There's a long pause before Jackson speaks again, "And the little mermaid, some human left her here. I am assuming you - "</p><p>"Jimin..." Jungkook whispers and sprints towards the farm.</p><p>Jungkook prays Jimin has not misunderstood anything.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lalisa enters the palace, looking around at the rooms of spectacular opulence.</p><p>At first, when she had heard what her father was about to do, she had refused to go to the palace. She knew it wasn't right. And this is not what they were on land for. They weren't here to rule.</p><p>All of her hyungs had come one by one to take her to the palace, but she refused. Seunghyun even manhandled her, but finally gave up. She stayed at Rose's house, but the sea king - now going to be the land king too - eventually commanded Jackson and Rose to go to the palace with Lalisa. They were told, if they fail to persuade Lalisa to go to the palace, they would be punished. And Lalisa had to come for Rose.</p><p>Twelve days had passed since the scandal. Today was the thirteenth.</p><p>Lalisa had gone to Jimin's farmhouse and the market place where he sold flowers. But Jimin was nowhere. She knew nothing about where Jimin went. She never saw Jimin after the night when everyone heard about the land king's death.</p><p>After that night, everything around her was a mess, chaos. Angry humans were not only killing merpeople, but also humans themselves. It had become difficult for them to believe who was a human and who was a water creature. They refused to trust each other.</p><p>It became worse when good merpeople lost their patience and starting fighting back. Showing their powers.</p><p>People who knew each other for years were now doubting each other. Doubting if the other was a different species and a danger.</p><p>Lalisa was heartbroken when she heard their father wouldn't try to stop merpeople or humans from killing each other unless he ascends the throne. And he will let the human crown decorate his forehead only if Lalisa showed up in the palace and stayed with them.</p><p>So here she was. After hundreds of souls leaving their bodies, she was standing in the palace, for no more people losing their loved ones because of her stubbornness.</p><p>A mermaid, now working as a court lady in the palace, guides Lalisa to her quarters. Lalisa looks around awed. She touches the walls lightly and sits down on the bed thinking how everything changed just because she had a stupid little dream of coming to this beautiful land.</p><p>"Want anything princess?" Rose knocks onto Lalisa's door.</p><p>"Don't be like that Rose. Get in." Lalisa laughs half-heartedly. "Where is your quarter?"</p><p>"I don't have any quarters," Rose laughs. "I just have a room."</p><p>"Oh. Where is Jungkook hyung? I saw all of my brothers except him." Lalisa asks as Rose comes in and sits beside her on her bed.</p><p>"Prince spoke against His Majesty and disobeyed him. He even went as far as protesting." Rose answers.</p><p>"About what?"</p><p>"Of course about His Majesty sitting on human throne."</p><p>"I assume all of his sons and I are against him about this anyway. But that does not answer my question."</p><p>"No. Not everyone is against His Majesty. The crown prince - "</p><p>"Of course." Lalisa huffs and rolls her eyes.</p><p>"And the 2nd prince don't mind His Majesty sitting on the human throne. And, about the 7th prince, he is behind the bars."</p><p>"Behind the bars?" Lalisa asks confused, hearing the phrase for the first time.</p><p>"Well, if it was the sea, it would mean, he was leashed."</p><p>"Rose!" Lalisa warns.</p><p>"I am not bluffing. His Majesty commanded to leash - "</p><p>"My brother?!" Lalisa hisses, "What does father think he is doing by punishing hyung like that?! And why would he do that?"</p><p>"Well," Rose hesitates noticing Lalisa's increasing annoyance. "As I told before, he protested - "</p><p>"So what?! It's not something he has done for the first time! And locking him up because he spoke about the situation being wrong? He is not wrong, papa is wrong!"</p><p>Rose says nothing and Lalisa continues, "What about Namjoon hyung and Seokjin hyung? Did they not stop father? I don't even expect Seunghyun hyung to do anything. But others?"</p><p>"They tried but - "</p><p>"Yoongi hyung?"</p><p>"He is not in the palace. He does not know yet."</p><p>"What is father doing?! He thinks sitting on human throne would solve our problems? Where is he?"</p><p>"Lalisa list - "</p><p>"Where. Is. He."</p><p>"Let me take you then." Rose sighs.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Jungkook rests his head on the wall behind him, sitting down with his right leg folded towards his chest, his right arm resting on it, while left leg sprawled straight ahead of him.</p><p>He stares at the bars keeping him locked inside the room, mermen guarding it.</p><p>"I should've told him the truth earlier," Jungkook mutters to himself.</p><p>Jungkook is in prison and has been thinking about Jimin the whole time. He had gone to his farm but Jimin was nowhere found. Jungkook prayed that Jimin was fine and was out for some reason. He waited and waited, but Jimin never came back. Jungkook had been going to his farm every day since then, in hopes of Jimin returning. But Jimin never showed up. And today, he was locked up.</p><p>He never got a chance to tell Jimin what had happened and who he was and what was he doing. Jungkook knows that Jimin might think of him as a scoundrel. Jimin would never want to see him again.</p><p>His mind had kept suspecting something might have happened to Jimin. What if some merman thought Jimin was beautiful and forced him to go with him? Or what if some mermaid had fallen in love with him and...?</p><p>His other assumptions were that Jimin might have gone somewhere else to live because he thought Jungkook was a criminal merman who knew where Jimin lived and might come after him to kill him just like how other mermen were doing with humans right now.</p><p>What was Jungkook supposed to think anyway? He wanted to prove Jimin he was not what humans were calling them - monsters. But Jungkook got no opportunity as he never saw Jimin after that night.</p><p>And now, when the sea king will ascend the throne tomorrow, the whole empire would know about him being the prince. Jimin would certainly know. And whatever doubts Jimin would have about Jungkook, would be proven right - Jimin would certainly think of Jungkook as a monster who was killing innocent humans.</p><p>Jungkook had wanted to stop his father from ascending the human throne. He wanted Jimin to know they were not monsters. He wanted Jimin to talk with him and not run away from him.</p><p> </p><p>"Namjoon-ah." Seokjin calls out from behind as Namjoon goes to the royal library.</p><p>Namjoon stops and waits for Seokjin to come by his side. Seokjin tilts his head, which Namjoon knew meant he was asking where Namjoon was going.</p><p>"Library." Namjoon smiles and starts walking with Seokjin.</p><p>"Did you ask father to - "</p><p>"Don't think about it much. Jungkook will be in there just for today. Father does not want anyone disrupting him while ascending the throne tomorrow. He ain't getting any penalty in there." Namjoon replies before Seokjin completes his question while entering the library.</p><p>"Yes, but that is not the right way to silence him."</p><p>"None of us wants father to do what he is doing. And we cannot protest like that. There's no stopping unless father himself changes his mind." Namjoon says as he picks up a book, reading its title.</p><p>"You can even read?" Seokjin asks amazed.</p><p>Namjoon nods,  "I don't know what father is thinking. If he is not telling us, he probably doesn't trust his own sons."</p><p>"Unless father has any superior motive - " Seokjin shrugs.</p><p>"You think so? Not like humans are going to help us if our merpeople continue murdering them like this. And father sitting on throne will just provoke them more. "</p><p>Seokjin nods.</p><p>"Don't you think Yoongi hyung is...ah."</p><p>"Acting unusually?" Seokjin tilts his head while Namjoon nods. "Now that even you have mentioned - "</p><p>"Even me?" Namjoon frowns.</p><p>"Yes. Jungkook had asked if anything was wrong with his Yoongi hyung. I hadn't paid any attention then, but as days passed Yoongi started growing distant. He is not even going to train our soldiers. And now even you feel like he is not acting normal."</p><p>"Trying to run away from duties?" Namjoon asks but then shakes his head as if telling himself Yoongi would never do that.</p><p>"Do you think he is in love?" Seokjin asks out of the blue.</p><p>Namjoon laughs to this and shakes his head, keeping the book in his hand back into the shelf uninterested and goes to pick another one. "He isn't. He looks as if something bad has happened."</p><p>Seokjin frowns looking behind Namjoon, at the wall, half lost. "Well, whatever is happening, is bad. But... We should talk?"</p><p>"If he had wanted to tell he would have a long time ago. I thought he might have told you. Let him be. He will be fine." Namjoon says looking up from the book in his hands and smiles slightly.</p><p>After a brief pause, Seokjin speaks again. "About other empires - "</p><p>"Hyung," Namjoon keeps the book back and walks towards Seokjin, keeping his hands on his shoulders. "Everything is going to be alright. Now don't worry yourself about Jungkook, Yoongi hyung, or other empires. Or anything. Okay? We all are together in this and we are going to fight and get out of this safe and live together normally again."</p><p>Seokjin sighs and nods. "Right. We are together."</p><p> </p><p>Jisso walks towards the lake, stepping on the rocks that look like are making a way especially for her to the beautiful lake.</p><p>It's been twelve days since her father had left her. She had found this lake and comes here every day secretly to sit for a while. She talks with no one, as she hides her face with a scarf while coming here.</p><p>Her brother, Taehyung, would never let her come alone. He would send his men with her. But she wanted solitude. So she came here every day secretly when her brother was out. Jisso was used to the palace. Being surrounded by guards, people working for her. But now, she was living in such a tiny place with hardly and guards and servants. No one knew where they were. Taehyung did not want merpeople to know that three people from the royal family had survived. One being the queen herself. So they had decided to hide for now.</p><p>The place took her worries away for a while. As she pretended to not think much about the chaos in her life and the people suffering around her. Jisso wanted the creatures that killed her father and half of her family to get punished as much as her brother wanted it. But they were helpless. They had no troops and neither any support from any of the kingdoms.</p><p>Usually, no one comes to the lake. Jisso has been visiting it every day alone. But today there is someone else sitting below the tree. Jisso hesitates to take another step towards him, but when she notices the man crying, she cannot help.</p><p>"Are you alright?" She asks, concerned. She hopes he is a human and prays might have not lost anyone, or shouldn't be in any trouble.</p><p>The man looks up at her, his teary black eyes twinkling.</p><p>"No. I am not."</p><p> </p><p>Yoongi sits below a tree, in front of a lake, alone.</p><p>He looks at the calm water, his face looking serener than the water. As if he is alone in this big world sitting peacefully, and doing nothing. As if no one is crying, mourning, or dying. As if everything that surrounds him is happy. As if everyone is happy.  As if he is happy.</p><p>The only voice reaching Yoongi's ears is the soft flow of the water, the wind hissing tenderly and the rustling of the tree leaves making him feel calm in a way he hasn't ever before.</p><p>And then suddenly, the words of the land prince, "I want them all dead." starts echoing in his head. Yoongi starts seeing everything again; the dead bodies from the night when the land king died, the deadly eyes of the land prince, the two mourning women.</p><p>Yoongi has not been able to erase the image since that night. Everyone around him was acting as if everything was fine. But he knew. Nothing was fine. They were far, very far from being fine. Now it was not only the sharks after the merfolk but also the humans. Yoongi had been feeling as if all the species of the world were against his merfolk. How was he going to fight so many? All he could see was the dead faces of his people. And the extinction of their species. All he could see was defeat. There was no winning against humans and sharks.</p><p>The land prince who had gone into hiding had not attacked them yet. And at this point, Yoongi had no clue what was about to happen next.</p><p>"Are you alright?" A concerned voice takes Yoongi out of his inner turmoil because of which he did not know his cheeks were wet with tears.</p><p>He looks up into the eyes of the voice that are looking down at his.</p><p>Yoongi had seen them somewhere before. And how could he forget them? He had been trying to erase them from his memory for so long now. Yet he remembers them crystal clear.</p><p>"No. I am not." Yoongi lets out. He had been hiding it in for so many days but today he wanted to tell someone what he was facing, he wanted someone to tell him he will be fine.</p><p>But the lady standing before him is someone who would loath him after knowing who he is. Yoongi thinks of how she had suffered because of his merfolk and feels ashamed.</p><p>"Can I help you?" She asks gently, softening her eyes.</p><p>It makes Yoongi feel worse.</p><p>"Go away." He tells her. He cannot stand the person he had hurt unknowingly and the same person being kind to him. It makes him feel worse.</p><p>Jisso looks taken aback but moves away from him and sits far away.</p><p>Yoongi stares back at the lake, contemplating whether to stay or go away.</p><p>'How many more are going to suffer because of us? Haven't we ruined everything? Neither the sea nor the land is safe. How many more humans like Jisso are going to suffer? There's the shark devil after my merfolk and then there's Jisso's brother - the land prince - who is after my merfolk too. How many am I going to protect? From how many am I going to protect them? How long am I going to protect? I don't even know how long I would live.' </p><p>'Wait. If Jisso is here, the land prince is somewhere near too. I can keep a watch on him. I certainly am not going to eliminate him to save my merpeople. Or am I?'</p><p> </p><p>"Father!" Lalisa enters the king's quarters.</p><p>"Oh, how pleasant my daughter - " The king starts cheerfully but Lalisa cuts him off.</p><p>"What has happened to you?! Why do you act greedy all of a sudden?"</p><p>"Watch your tongue Lalisa," The king answers softly. "I see, you have learned how to speak."</p><p>"Release Jungkook hyung. Please!" Lalisa pleads. Lalisa has been able to speak like humans now. And she cannot seem to stop herself. It feels good to make voices that actually mean something.</p><p>"I will." He smiles. But Lalisa knows he wouldn't.</p><p>"We both know you are wrong father and Jungkook hyung wouldn't - "</p><p>"Lalisa," The king stops Lalisa again. "You should not talk about matters you know nothing about. I will appreciate it if you behave like a princess and not go anywhere on your own. Stay in your quarters and support your papa."</p><p>"Papa," Lalisa lets herself soften a bit. "We already have a lot of problems. Let's not go against humans too - "</p><p>"Go to your quarters Lalisa." The king commands.</p><p>"Father - "</p><p>"Now."</p><p>Lalisa leaves angrily out of the king's quarters and goes to Rose standing outside, waiting for her.</p><p>"Rose, take me to Jungkook hyung."</p><p>"But," Rose furrows her brows and speaks after a brief pause. "We cannot go there just like that."</p><p>"Just like what?"</p><p>"I meant, we are not allowed to go there."</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>"I don't know? Rules?" Rose answers.</p><p>"Well then," Lalisa says and starts walking away.</p><p>Rose follows her, "Where are we going?"</p><p>"Not we. Me. You are not allowed there."</p><p>"Where?" Rose asks already knowing the answer.</p><p>"Lock-up." Lalisa answers and Rose stops following her, wide-eyed. She stares at Lalisa's figure growing smaller as she goes towards the lock-up.</p><p>"Even you aren't allowed there," Rose speaks but Lalisa ignores.</p><p>Lalisa smirks and turns in the opposite direction of the lock-up. The guard ahead stops her but moves to the side when Lalisa glares at him. Not like he would have dared to stop the princess anyway.</p><p>She tried to stop her father with so little force. She knew if she spoke more, he would have locked her in her quarters. Lalisa hopes she did the right thing and prays this will work.</p><p>'There's only one person who can help me now. I am sorry hyung. I promise I will be back. Father can't sit on human throne.'</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It amazed Lalisa how every time she has gone out and humans changed the way they looked at her. She knows for sure that they did not know she was a mermaid and could be the reason for being looked at like that. She knows what had made them change so much.</p><p>Lalisa had escaped the palace this morning secretly looking for Jimin. The moment she stepped out, she noticed the change everywhere. The land wasn't as noisy and joyful as before. It wasn't at all like what she had witnessed in the first few days. Then, there were people everywhere. They chatted with each other, they helped each other and worked for each other, and all sorts of things. And today, they all seemed distant. No one wanted to trust or help each other. Everything was so quiet. Humans looked at everyone cautiously all the time.</p><p>Lalisa knew it was because of them. The merpeople.</p><p>She feels guilty for ruining humans lives.</p><p>She had been searching for Jimin since morning and it's already noon. She had waited at his farm, asked people around, but no one answered. They preferred to stay away. And most of them locked themselves into their homes.</p><p>She wanted Jimin to help her. She knew she was asking for a lot when Jimin probably already knows who she is. But they were friends, weren't they?</p><p>Lalisa wanted Jimin to help her rescue Jungkook. No one from the palace and merpeople was ready to help her. Jimin was a human and could know more about the palace.</p><p>Lalisa had even gone to the market but she did not find Jimin there. It worried her how Jimin could have just disappeared? She prayed nothing had happened to him.</p><p>Lalisa then counts the number of human she had talked to before the scandal. She counts the number of human she had encountered and remembers till now. First was Jimin, who has disappeared. Then it was the green eyed man. Then it occurs to Lalisa that she has not seen the green eyed man as well as his friend and the people on the ship who saved her and brought her back safe to the land.</p><p>Did they fight with merpeople to save themselves and the humans? After all, they were fighting the pirates on the ship that day. They could be soldiers. If they died doing so, she would never be able to forgive herself. They saved her life and there was a huge possibility they lost theirs because of her.</p><p>When is all of this supposed to stop? She does not want any one to die.</p><p>Although merpeople are safe for now on land and her father will be ruling the land, she feels like nothing is right. It feels worse now. They are safe by putting humans in danger. And it's not right.</p><p>'It is our fight, but we dragged humans in it too.'</p><p>Lalisa sighs and looks around. She has reached some place she has never been to before.</p><p>'Where am I now?' Lalisa frowns. She had not realised she came so far not paying attention to the routes she has taken.</p><p>Lalisa breathes deeply and tries to relax her running mind. When she looks around calmly, she finally notices what a beautiful place she has reached. The place immediately lifts up her mood. The colorful trees and flowers and a clear blue lake with a light purple sky above.</p><p>Lalisa smiles unknowingly and her feet move towards the lake on their own accord. The fresh air blows her hair away from her face.</p><p>"Do you have a death wish?" A strong voice grabs her attention from somewhere beside her.</p><p>Lalisa turns her head to her left surprised.</p><p>Her smile stretches accros her face even more when she looks at the owner of the voice. Just a few moments ago, she was praying for him to be alright and now he was sitting their looking at her with a baffled face.</p><p>His beautiful green eyes shine and he looks as good as he ever was. Lalisa feels relieved that nothing had happened to him and can't help but go near him.</p><p>"I wanted to thank you for saving me that day." She smiles down at him.</p><p>"Oh. It's - " He stops mid sentence looking into her eyes.</p><p>"Uh...?"</p><p>"You can talk." The words spill out of his lips before his mind could process what he was about to say.</p><p>Lalisa laughs delighted.</p><p>"Ah, I am sorry. I did not mean to - " He stops again to look at her laughing face. Taehyung smiles for the first time after his father's death. He had been feeling useless from past few days for not being their on time and saving his father, brother and the rest of the family. He succeeded in saving his mother and sister. But lost the rest of his family.</p><p>"It's alright," Lalisa says before Taehyung could get lost in his thoughts and start cursing and blaming himself for his family's death. "I assume, many people think the same way about me when they first meet me."</p><p>Lalisa can't tell him that she is a mermaid and so was not able to speak till now. So she decides to tell it to him this way.</p><p>Taehyung smiles and continues looking at every detail of her face.</p><p>"Thank you again." Lalisa says.</p><p>Taehyung feels the need to talk more to make her stay for a bit longer. Or she would go away.</p><p>"That was nothing. I -" Taehyung stops again to think. He was about to tell her his name. Not like doubts her. He can't doubt her. She is such a calm person. There's no way she could be a mermaid. None the less he decides to not reveal his identity. If she knows he is a prince, she is doing a good job hiding the fact that she knows. And if she doesn't know, just like many other people who don't know how the youngest prince looks, then that's good too.</p><p>"You are a soldier aren't you?" Lalisa asks out of nowhere.</p><p>"Uh," Taehyung decides to go with that, "yes."</p><p>"No wonder you fight so well."</p><p>Taehyung looks at her confused, not knowing when she saw him fighting.</p><p>Lalisa notices the confused look and clears him, "That day you saved me and you were fighting with the pirate and -"</p><p>"I'd rather say, you saved me." Taehyung interrupts making Lalisa remember when a pirate was about to stab him and she had taken a knife to kill the pirate. The memory makes Lalisa uncomfortable knowing she had killed a human.</p><p>Taehyung notices the shift in the mood and clears his throat looking at the lake, "Are you alright?" He asks.</p><p>"Uh, yes. I just remembered the pirate - "</p><p>"Not that," Taehyung interrupts, "I meant, after the merfolk's attack. Are you safe? Your family?" He asks without looking at her.</p><p>Lalisa feels like someone had punched her hard in her gut and now she feels so guilty and ashamed that she wants to puke. It feels worse when someone whose life you have ruined asks you if you are doing good.</p><p>Why are humans so kind? Or is it just this man?</p><p>When no human is ready to trust each other, and are not even ready to look at you, here he is asking if you and your family is alright?</p><p>"You can ask me if you need any help." Taehyung tells still not looking at her. He would help her in any way possible. But that would sound wrong to her. So he decides on telling her something else, "Uh, we have been helping every possible person in need. So..." He says. That is true too. He and his men were helping as many people they could. His empire was his responsibility now. He alone is supposed to protect and look after the empire and it's people now. He must protect them. That's what his father would do.</p><p>Lalisa looks away. Could she feel any more worse than this?</p><p>"No one knows were the remaining soldiers are." Taehyung speaks.</p><p>It takes a moment for Lalisa to realise what he means. It means he trusts her to not tell anyone else about where the soldiers are. Lalisa, by now knows he is a brave and honest soldier. He would protect the humans anyhow. She just hopes he wouldn't kill merpeople. After all, humans wouldn't know which merperson is good and which is evil. By now, humans would want to eliminate any merperson they see.</p><p>Lalisa feels a feeling she does not know the name of. He and the other soldiers had no king to command them or no one to show them where to go and what to do, but they still were ready to help and protect their people. They were doing their duty selflessly.</p><p>"You can show me where you live. I'll keep checking on you. We have been checking on people who want us to. Others don't trust us. But we still prefer to watch after them. Just in case if they get into trouble."</p><p>Lalisa immediately shakes her head to say no, "Uh, no. But thank you for asking. I, uh, we are safe."</p><p>"Oh? You can -"</p><p>"No," Lalisa interrupts, she can't let him know she is living in the palace. He would know she is a mermaid. "We are from yuan," Lalisa remembers Rose telling this to Jimin when they met first. She feels it a better way to avoid this soldier knowing where she lives, "So we will be heading back to our kingdom soon. Moreover, you already have a lot of people to protect. I don't want you to add one more family to look after." She smiles hoping he would drop the topic.</p><p>Taehyung's face falls a bit when he hears her say she is from Yuan and would go back any time soon. He was a fool to let his heart flutter for some random lady he knew nothing about. It would be difficult for him to forget her when she goes away.</p><p>"I should go now..." Lalisa speaks again so that he wouldn't ask anymore about where she lives.</p><p>"It's getting dark. I can walk you till - "</p><p>"No." Lalisa shakes head head. "I'll be fine."</p><p>Taehyung looks taken aback, but just nods, "Okay."</p><p>Lalisa gives up finding Jimin for today. She will have to do something on her own now.</p><p>The thought about asking for help from the soldier had occurred to her, but she does not want him to know she is a mermaid.</p><p>Lalisa reaches the palace. Then it occurs to her, that she never asked her Yoongi hyung to unleash Jungkook. First off, if Yoongi knew Jungkook was leashed, he would have definitely asked his father to change his mind. But Yoongi himself is not in the palace and so he might not even know about this.</p><p>"Lalisa? Where were you?" She hears her Namjoon hyung ask just before she is about to enter her quarters.</p><p>Lalisa facepalms herself mentally.</p><p>"Just dawdling around...." She trails off.</p><p>Namjoon decides to not ask any further, "Come here."</p><p>Lalisa knows he would embrace her, for he does it whenever he feels low and Lalisa could sense her hyung's low mood today.</p><p>She walks to him and Namjoon wraps his hands around her, "Don't go out without telling at least any one of you hyung's. Is that clear?"</p><p>"I did not mean to worry you. And I know you'd send someone with me if I tell you." Lalisa complains.</p><p>"I won't."</p><p>Lalisa looks up at him, "You won't?"</p><p>Namjoon nods, "Only if you tell where you would be."</p><p>Lalisa thinks for a moment, "I just wanted papa to let Jungkook hyung out. And there's this human friend I have made."</p><p>"A what?!"</p><p>Lalisa laughs lightly, "Don't worry. I trust him. I met him the first day I came to land. He has been nothing but good to me. I just thought, that if no one of you is going to help me get Jungkook hyung out then I'd ask a human for help. As he'd know more about palace..."</p><p>"You are making a very big deal out of it Lalisa. Father is going to let him out tomorrow. He's in just for the day."</p><p>"He is? Oh. I thought he'd keep him locked up for days."</p><p>"Father love us too much to do that." Namjoon pats her head when he lets go of her.</p><p>"Now, about your human friend." Namjoon raises his eyebrow.</p><p>"Don't worry. I did not meet him. I mean, I don't know where he is. He disappeared that day when Wook killed the human king. I am just hoping he is alright. And he probably already knows I am a water creature. And thanks to those evil merfolk he might be so afraid of me that he decided to change his home!"</p><p>Namjoon laughs, "That kid's been crying a lot. Go see her once."</p><p>Namjoon tells Lalisa about the baby mermaid. She feels bad to leave her alone for so long.</p><p>"Why, where's Roes?"</p><p>"I don't know." He shrugs.</p><p>Lalisa nods and goes into her quarters to the baby mermaid. Sure enough, she's been crying a lot and there's basically a pool of pearls around her.</p><p>She goes near her to touch her and the little mermaid opens her eyes to look at a familiar face.</p><p>'Shush. It's alright.'</p><p>'Jeehunnn.'</p><p>'Huh?'</p><p>'Jeehunnnnn,' The baby mermaid thinks again, smiling.</p><p>'Eh, who's that?' Lalisa asks confused.</p><p>'Jiminnn'</p><p>'Jimin? You heard me talk about him with Rose didn't you? Yeah. Noona is worried about her friend. Hope he is fine. I'd ather him run away from us than putting him in some danger.' Lalisa thinks sighing.</p><p>'Yes. That's better.' Lalisa decides to not keep looking for Jimin anymore. She wants him to be safe as well as feel safe. And if avoiding them makes him feel safe, then be it.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Tae?" Hoseok calls out.</p><p>"Yeah?" Taehyung asks coming to stand beside him.</p><p>"That new kid's good," Hoseok praises a smaller man.</p><p>"Uh huh? Chim?" Taehyung asks looking at the man who's rubbing his neck shyly when Taehyung's soldiers praise him.</p><p>"Jimin." Heseok corrects him.</p><p>"Chim sounds good too," Taehyung smiles his boxy smile and goes towards Jimin and wraps his arm around Jimin's shoulder putting almost all of his weight on him.</p><p>"Your Highness," Jimin tries to bow, but Taehyung holds him in place.</p><p>"You don't have to chim," Taehyung laughs lightly.</p><p>"Isn't your mood too good today?" -After so long, - Hoseok wanted to add but didn't.</p><p>"UmHmm, I met someone today," Taehyung sings.</p><p>"The lady?" Hoseok asks.</p><p>Taehyung laughs grabbing attention of everyone present around him - his men. They look at him for few seconds. Everyone feels a warms blanket embracing their hearts when they see their prince laugh for the first time in so many days.</p><p>They look away immediately when Taehyung spots one of them looking at him.</p><p>"I met her today. She's safe. She talked with me. She wanted to thank me for saving her life. I said it was the reverse, as she saved my life that day." Taehyung says.</p><p>Jimin tries to not smile at the prince's childishness. Although he does not know who 'she' here is, but from what the prince is talking, looks like she saved his life. The whole empire will be grateful of her to sve their prince. And form thee way the prince is talking about her, Jimin knows the feeling. After all, he had felt it for someone too. But he turned out to be a merman who might have had a hand in killing their king.</p><p>Jimin wanted to ask Jungkook what the truth was. He did not want to assume anything. But the incident was so frightening, that it shook the whole empire. And Jimin was already a soldier. If he meets Jungkook, Rose, Jackson or Lalisa now, it meant he would risk the lives of remaining soldiers and their prince, who was their only chance to build a good kingdom again. And Jimin couldn't afford to lose that chance. He trusted their prince. He knew if they won this war against merpeople, Taehyung would make a very good king.</p><p>Jimin was heading towards the palace that night after nursing his leg when he saw a few soldiers killing a man called Wook. He immediately recognized the queen and felt relieved when he saw her. He was hesitant at first to approach them, but had to. He wanted to help them save people from the water creatures.</p><p>The soldiers were hesitant at letting a total stranger come with them. But thankfully one of them - Luhan - knew Jimin's father, who had served honestly for the king. And so he was allowed to go with them. The prince, Jimin came to know in a very short duration of time, is a very kind and considerate human. Sure he is harsh and austere when it comes to scoundrels. But he is more kind-hearted and selfless when it comes to helping innocent people.</p><p>Jimin wants to fight for Taehyung. Jimin feels the need to protect the prince. He is too precious to lose. They'd have to win this war against the merpeople.</p><p>Jimin does not want to hurt Jungkook. But if Jungkook was involved in the king's murder and was killing humans, then Jimin wouldn't hesitate to eliminate him.</p><p>Jimin wishes he is wrong and Jungkook is a good merman.</p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lalisa attends the crowning ceremony of her father with a poker face.</p><p>Everyone around her looks delighted. Except her hyungs. Sure they are smiling, but that's just for their father. And to welcome their guests.</p><p>But Lalisa can't even bring herself to twitch her face. Does this look like an occasion to celebrate? The shark devil was after them, ready to kill whole merfolk and might find them anytime. The humans were devastated, their king was dead and someone else was about to rule them and they had no idea what would happen. Sure she trusted her father to be fair with both merfolk and humans, but what he was doing was not right. He should have considered humans' feelings. How could humans celebrate for their new king when their 'real human king' just perished?</p><p>Today few court ladies had come in to Lalisa's quarters to 'decorate' her for this 'occasion'. Sure Lalisa threw tantrums but all in vain. She only agreed when she was reminded of her father's promise about stopping merfolk from attacking and killing humans.</p><p>She had taken her time to get ready, but knew she'd have to go and see her father get crowned anyway and was just wasting her time and energy sulking around.</p><p>Lalisa see's all the merfolk present to see her father get crowned. They look so happy. As if their lives aren't in danger. As if they aren't ruining human's lives.</p><p>Lalisa sighs.</p><p>At least according to her father's promise, merfolk would stop attacking humans. And at least her friend, Jimin will be safe.</p><p>Lalisa wonders what the green eyed soldier might be doing? Is he safe? Lalisa facepalms herself mentally. Of course he is. He is a soldier. And he can protect himself and people around him.</p><p>"What a pleasant sight it is."</p><p>A raspy voice makes Lalisa flinch and pull her back out of her thoughts.</p><p>Of course!</p><p>Of course he'd think of it as pleasant! After all, he'd be the crown prince of not only the sea, but land too now.</p><p>Lalisa rolls her eyes at her eldest hyung, Seunghyun.</p><p>He never talks to her unless it's making a snide remark. But he also never misses any opportunity to mock her.</p><p>"I know where you've been dawdling around to," He smirks.</p><p>Blood drains from her face as she stares at Seunghyun with eyes nearly popping out of her sockets. She feels her heart race at a speed she has never known it could.</p><p>What does he mean he knows?</p><p>He knows were she was today?</p><p>If yes, then does that mean he knows about the green eyed soldier too?</p><p>Just moments ago she was thinking the green eyed soldier can protect himself and his people, but now she is not so sure about it. Seunghyun says he knows. And Lalisa knows that if he knows, then he must have already really done something to the soldiers. Lalisa knows what that 'something' could be, but does not want to think about it. Lalisa knows Seunghyun very well. He must definitely think of the green eyed man as an obstacle and eliminate him.</p><p>No.</p><p>No, this can't be possible.</p><p>It's not true.</p><p>He's just fooling around.</p><p>How'd he know?</p><p>Had he followed her out today?</p><p>No.</p><p>Please no.</p><p>Seunghyun continues staring into Lalisa's soul narrowing his eyes.</p><p>Lalisa knows she needs to stop panicking.</p><p>In case Seunghyun was just blabbering, then she needs to stop panicking. Or else he'll know she's hiding something.</p><p>She can't risk the soldier's life.</p><p>She can't.</p><p>She knows Seunghyun would read her, she has to stop panicking or letting any other emotion out.</p><p>For now, all she can do is pray. For the green eyed soldier to be safe and away from Seunghyun's vision.</p><p>Wait.</p><p>What if Seunghyun is talking about jimin?</p><p>No no no.</p><p>He should not know that too.</p><p>Did Namjoon tell him.</p><p>Lalisa feels stupid and wants to cry out loud.</p><p>'What have I done! God, no! I've put their lives in danger!'</p><p>"Mmhmm," Seunghyun hums.</p><p>Lalisa snaps her head up at him and dreads if she had just thought it out loud.</p><p>No. She is sure she hasn't.</p><p>"You look pale," Seunghyun smirks wider.</p><p>Tears start forming at the back of her eyes but she tries her best to hide them and not let him know anything about what she's feeling.</p><p>If Seunghyun really knows where Lalisa had gone to or if he really knows about Jimin or the green eyed soldier, she needs to do something sooner. She can't let even one of them get into danger.</p><p>Seunghyun walks away leaving Lalisa confused, furious at him, fearful for her human friends and praying for their safety.</p><p>Yoongi bumps his shoulder into Lalisa's lightly making her flinch again and look at him startled at first and then relieved, "Are you alright? What did he say that made you look so pale?" Yoongi asks concerned. He had just seen the exchange from some distance and had immediately approached Lalisa when she looked like was having a panic attack.</p><p>"Hyung - " Lalisa stops to look at where Seunghyun is. He is standing with some mermen but Lalisa could tell he has his ears and attention to her. She can't risk mentioning Jimin or the green eyed man here.</p><p>Yoongi's eyebrows furrow in concern and he places his hand on Lalisa's shoulder.</p><p>Before Yoongi can ask any further or say something that might give Seunghyun a clue, Lalisa shakes her head, "No. Ah, you know how Seunghyun hyung is. He was here just to mock me."</p><p>Yoongi looks at Lalisa and she knows he won't buy it. But Yoongi seems to understand and nods. Yoongi does not leave Lalisa's side the whole ceremony. Of course he is worried. And he knows, whatever it is, Lalisa will tell him eventually.</p><p>"When did you come back anyway? I thought you wouldn't attend the ceremony? I was looking for you."</p><p>"For what?"</p><p>Lalisa shrugs, "Well it was for Jungkook hyung. But Namjoon hyung told me he's in there just for today. So, it's okay."</p><p>"In where?" Yoongi looks around searching for something, or someone, "And where is he? Did not father warn everyone to be present in the ceremony at any cost?"</p><p>"I thought you'd know once you come back. Father has leashed him for today. He thought hyung would not let the ceremony get through without disturbance."</p><p>Yoongi ponders over it for a moment, "Hmm. Jungkook sure would have done something to stop father." Yoongi laughs lightly.</p><p>Lalisa smiles and looks ahead to see her father sitting on the throne.</p><p>She will have to think of possible ways to check if her human friends are alright.</p><p> </p><p>Lalisa was exhausted but sleep seemed unlikely. All she was thinking about was of her human friends.</p><p>The more she thought of Seunghyun's words, the more she felt the impossibility of going to sleep.</p><p>Morning arrived but she did not sleep a wink.</p><p>"Rose!" Lalisa calls.</p><p>This is the only way she can fool Seunghyun. This way, she will be able to see if they are safe and Seunghyun will not even know. If he already does not know.</p><p>Lalisa asks Rose to bring her clothes.</p><p>"Will you help me dress like you? Make me look like a court lady?"</p><p>"Ah, yes but - "</p><p>"It's an order," Lalisa gives a cheeky smile and Rose looks at her confused.</p><p>Rose follows her order anyway but hesitantly, "Are you sure you are not doing anything that might put you in danger?"</p><p>"No. Don't worry about me. No one will recognize me if I go out like this. And about my hair, can you please make them look like yours?" Lalisa asks.</p><p>"Sure."</p><p>Rose ties Lalisa's hair into a simple bun. Lalisa tries to keep her hair color red like Rose's.</p><p>"Okay. Now I want you to sit hear till I come back. Don't open the door for anyone. Anyone. Okay?"</p><p>"But - "</p><p>"It's an order," Lalisa never used that a lot. But now it felt funny and good to make someone do something you want by saying just three words.</p><p>Rose nods dumbfounded.</p><p>Lalisa sneaks out of the palace again.</p><p>Lalisa doubts she'd be able to reach the lake she had been to yesterday, properly. She is exhausted. And moreover, there's a very low possibility of the green eyed soldier coming there. If he was there yesterday, does not mean he'd be there today too. And Lalisa is going there early in the morning. She does not even know if he might have woken up. She'll have to wait for him. But for how long will she wait? What if Rose gets caught? Lalisa promises to herself she will not wait for long.</p><p>If the green eyed man comes there, she will be relieved and if he doesn't - she does not want to assume what might have happened to him. Lalisa decides to wander around the area to see if there's any camp where the soldier's are hiding at.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Your highness - "</p><p>"Chim!"</p><p>"Uh," Jimin, like every time, blushes after hearing that name given by Taehyung to him. He dares to laugh lightly hiding his mouth.</p><p>Hoseok comes from behind Jimin and smacks him, "Soldier! Did I send you here to giggle around our prince?"</p><p>"General!" Taehyung starts excited. "I am going there again. Handle everything after me?"</p><p>"Did you ask her to meet you there everyday?" Heseok asks not believing Taehyung.</p><p>"I did not ask but - "</p><p>"But you are expecting her to be there to meet you," Hoseok makes a poker face.</p><p>Jimin feels like he is listening to his general and the princes' private conversation so he stands a bit away from them. Is there someone else who knows about them? As far as Jimin knows, it's only the queen, the princess and the soldiers who the prince trusts. And if it's a woman they are talking about, then she could be their informer. Then why does she not come to prince but prince has to go to her?</p><p>Oh. Of course. Silly Jimin. She is an informer and if someone else comes here, they could get exposed. They haven't even told humans about the prince, queen and the princess. All that villagers know, is they are soldiers trying to protect them from merfolk. But no one knows where they've been hiding.</p><p>Oh wait. It could be the lady the prince was talking about a day before. His excellency is meeting her?</p><p>The prince showed no sorrow on his face knowing the water creature had finally taken his crown and his place in the palace. They knew the prince was not okay from inside. At least the lady made the prince feel good. Jimin wishes she would be by his side forever if she is the reason for their prince to be happy again.</p><p>When they first heard the water creature was going to sit on the throne yesterday night, they panicked. They had to do something, fast. But the prince looked calm. Jimin knew their prince had other plans. And so, without dwelling on the topic of water creature taking over their empire, they continued their work. They trusted their prince. Whatever he has decided, is for their good. And they'd follow him where ever he takes them.</p><p>They'd take over their empire again. Sure. The prince would be their king. Humans will rule again and Jimin will fight anyone to protect the prince.</p><p>Jimin is ashamed he had helped a merman. Jimin wished Jungkook was a good merman. But as the days pass, Jimin has started to believe Jungkook is someone who shouldn't be trusted.</p><p> </p><p>At first Taehyung had thought that Jimin would be Lalisa's special friend. But now that Jimin is here as his soldier, Taehyung doubts there's anything like that between them.</p><p>Moreover, Jimin had told them he had no family. Taehyung would have asked further about the matter but they needed men. And Jimin looked trustworthy. Jimin hasn't even left the base since he had joined. So if Lalisa was his good friend or someone he knew very well, he might have at least met her once. Or at least mentioned her when other soldiers were mentioning their family and friends they need to protect.</p><p>But now that Taehyung thinks about it, Lalisa is from yuan. And she might know Jimin just because they live in the same village. Nothing more.</p><p>Taehyung reaches the lake. He knows there is no possibility of Lalisa being there even today and so early in the morning. But even if she isn't, Taehyung would like to sit under a tree and remember yesterday's moments with Lalisa.</p><p>Although yesterday was a beautiful day, it was equally worse as the water creature ascended the throne. But Taehyung has his plans. He knows what to do next and how to do it.</p><p>Taehyung reaches the lake and looks around. And, just like he had thought, Lalisa isn't here. His feels a bit disappointed, but walks towards a tree to sit under it.</p><p>He stiffens when he sees a piece of cloth laying on the opposite side. He walks cautiously towards it, his right hand on his sword.</p><p>The sight in front of him surprises him and makes him smile like a maniac.</p><p>Taehyung stares at Lalisa, who is sitting under the tree.</p><p>'Did she dye her hair?' He wonders looking at her red hair.</p><p>Taehyung notices she's sleeping and her head is about to fall. He looks around embarrassed, not wanting Lalisa to wake up after the jerk when her head will fall because of sleep and finding him looking at her in her sleep. He awkwardly goes to sit by her side, fast, and successfully manages to sit on time by her side to let her head fall on his left shoulder. Taehyung immediately relaxes and he sits there like a statue letting Lalisa sleep on his shoulder.</p><p>When he realizes what he did, his heart rate increases and he can hear his heart beating through his own ears. Taehyung dares not move a single muscle. Not even a blink.</p><p>He stares straight ahead with his lips slightly parted and wide eyes and trying to keep calm.</p><p>He knows Lalisa might interpret it wrongly when she wakes up.</p><p>He sits there like a statue thinking what to do before Lalisa wakes up and probably gets so angry that she decides not to look at him ever again.</p><p>Taehyung picks at the grass beside him restlessly looking around him.</p><p>It then occurs to Taehyung that he might not get to see Lalisa again when she gets back to yuan and he should relish this moment and let Lalisa sleep on his shoulder.</p><p>Taehyung facepalms himself for thinking something like that. What if Lalisa gets offended? She would surely not like this. He should respect her space.</p><p>Taehyung makes his mind and decides to put Lalisa's head in a way that she will get support from the tree behind. And then he should get up and make some noise so that she would wake up.</p><p>But then Taehyung thinks it will not be wise to wake her up. She looks exhausted. He should let her sleep and and just go away. Although Taehyung wants to talk so badly with Lalisa, he also wants her to sleep.</p><p>'But I shouldn't go away. What if some merman comes by and sees her sleeping alone and tries to take advantage of her?'</p><p>Taehyung then thinks of watching Lalisa from some distance just in case someone comes and tries to do something, then he will protect her and when she wakes up, he will go away.</p><p>"Why does this girl even get out of her house alone at times like these? Sure she can protect herself, but she does not even have any weapon with her now to protect herself." Taehyung mutters.</p><p>He moves to hold Lalisa's face in his palms and feels even more ashamed to touch her without her knowing it. He feels tingling sensations on his palm and his heart flutters again. Taehyung tries his best to lift her head up as slowly as possible not realizing he is now breathing with his lips partially open.</p><p>And then it happens.</p><p>It all happens in just two fast seconds as Lalisa opens her eyes and before she can move away Taehyung drops his hands on his own sides and screams moving away from her dragging himself with his hands by his side and legs sprawled in front of him.</p><p>He looks at Lalisa's wide eyes and fears she might think something wrong.</p><p>Lalisa stares at him for one long second and starts laughing out loudly holding her stomach.</p><p>Taehyung looks at her confused and then looks down at himself and remembers what he did few moment ago in just two seconds. Taehyung keeps looking down wanting to laugh at his own stupidity and the awkward moment. He finally breaks into laughter resuming his own scream and awkward sliding away from Lalisa in his own mind.</p><p>Taehyung realizes Lalisa has stopped laughing. He looks up to look into her beautiful smiling eyes looking into his.</p><p>They look at each other smiling and Taehyung gets lost in her eyes for so long that he fails to notice when Lalisa had come closer and was now sitting in front of him looking at him as if he was the most precious thing she had ever seen.</p><p>Taehyung gulps as Lalisa looks at each and every curve of his face.</p><p>'Thank goodness you are safe.'</p><p>Taehyung looks at Lalisa for a moment and he is sure it was Lalisa's voice but he is also sure she did not speak. Taehyung snaps his head up and looks around himself.</p><p>He looks back at Lalisa and decides to ask, "Did you just say something?"</p><p>Lalisa looks at him surprised but shakes her head.</p><p>Lalisa looks at Taehyung as her smile disappears and Taehyung fears if he had said or done something wrong? She was just fine, laughing with him, but now she is frowning.</p><p>Taehyung's smile disappears too as he looks at her concerned, confused and anxious.</p><p>"I liked it here yesterday. So I thought I'll come again," Lalisa decides to speak something.</p><p>"Oh. Ah, I like it here too. I come here often." Taehyung blinks and looks at her red hair again.</p><p>"So I guess we'll be meeting often," Lalisa's face lightens up again and Taehyung looks at her surprised even more after witnessing the drastic shift in her mood in just seconds. And another thing that surprises him is, she is excited about meeting him here often.</p><p>Oh.</p><p>"So," Lalisa pauses to think what to say next, "How are you?"</p><p>"How would I be?" Taehyung laughs. Lalisa thinks he is a soldier. And how is a soldiers life supposed to be? "Like yesterday. Just like how I was yesterday. Helping people. And protecting them. Um, that's how my day goes," Taehyung notices Lalisa's frown and decides to answer her question directly and not in circles, "I am good. Doing my work." Taehyung facepalms himself mentally. What is he doing? Blabbering anything? He needs to focus. He is a soldier. A prince actually.</p><p>And princes' are supposed to be charismatic.</p><p>Confident.</p><p>Alluring.</p><p>Mesmerizing.</p><p>"Um," Lalisa interrupts his uncanny thoughts, "And did merman prince or someone among merfolk come here? Just asking. I mean, is this place safe?" Lalisa tries to ask indirectly what she was here for.</p><p>"Haven't you heard? Our new king is a merman," Taehyung laughs bitterly, "And he has ordered his merpeople to not attack humans? This must be some trap of his."</p><p>Lalisa feels the urge to defend her father but doesn't. Taehyung is a human. And whatever merfolk have done till now, Taehyung definitely feels they are monsters. She can't blame him.</p><p>She wishes she could tell him that the king was her father and he had promised her to not harm any human from now on and her father would never break a promise given to her.</p><p>But Lalisa knows she can't let him know. He will certainly loath her if he finds out she is a mermaid.</p><p>"Uh, so you - I mean we - are safe unless the king forgets his vow?"</p><p>"I am not sure about the water creature," Taehyung says, water creature implying the new king, "But you are safe while I am alive. I will protect you," Taehyung looks deep into Lalisa's eyes.</p><p>Lalisa feels the unknown feeling again but disregards it.</p><p>They sit there in silence. Not uncomfortable one. But the one that makes you feel at peace.</p><p>After some time Taehyung decides to speak again, "Are you stuck in this empire because of the merpeople, Lalisa?"</p><p>Lalisa thinks on that funny question. If he would have asked it to a human, they might have answered 'yes'. But Lalisa is a mermaid. How is she supposed to answer that? Then Lalisa rewinds the question he had just asked.</p><p>"How do you know my name?" Lalisa asks suddenly, her eyes wide.</p><p>Does he know about her? But. No. That can't be possible.</p><p>"I, uh," Taehyung rubs the backs of hi neck smiling sheepishly, "I read it."</p><p>Lalisa looks at him as if he had grown two heads.</p><p>Taehyung decides to explain, "Days ago, you were sitting by the shore. With two friends of yours. One of them wrote your name on the sand."</p><p>"But how do you know it was my name? It could be her own name."</p><p>"Um, he wrote it. Not her."</p><p>"Oh," Lalisa remembers Jimin. If she was at the shore, then it must be the day when she had gone out with Rose and Jimin, "But then he might have written the other lady's name. How did you know it was my name?"</p><p>Taehyung shrugs, "It was a beautiful name. I guessed it would belong to someone beautiful."</p><p>"But Rose is beautiful too. How - "</p><p>It takes moments for Lalisa to decipher that it was a compliment.</p><p>She smiles and looks away making Taehyung smile brighter and look at her red face wanting to pinch her cheeks.</p><p>"I should go now," Lalisa says after sometime.</p><p>Taehyung nods. Although he wanted to spend a little more time with her, he knows he can't. And spending even a whole day with Lalisa will not satisfy him, "I will - "</p><p>"No. I'll go by myself." Lalisa tells and Taehyung understands she does not want him to talk more on it.</p><p>"Okay. But at least let me ask you one question?"</p><p>"Mmhmm?" Lalisa hums standing up.</p><p>"Are you coming here tomorrow? Uh, Just asking." Taehyung licks his lips not being able to make eye contact.</p><p>"Maybe?" Lalisa answers and Taehyung smiles.</p><p>"At what time?"</p><p>"You were going to ask just one question." And with that she walks away leaving Taehyung behind smiling like a maniac.</p><p>At least now Lalisa knows that he is safe. And Jimin must be safe too. Because one, she did not meet him yesterday for Seunghyun to know about him and two, Seunghyun never came here. He was just fooling around.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Hyung!" Lalisa squeals when Jungkook enters her room. She runs to embrace him.</p><p>"I was gone only for a day," Jungkook makes a poker face.</p><p>"Yes but I thought father would keep you in there forever," Lalisa says refusing to let go of her hyung, "I missed you."</p><p>"You could have come to see me if you missed me so much," Jungkook rolls his eyes.</p><p>"Why are you mad at me? I sneaked out of the palace for you so I could ask father to let you go."</p><p>"You what?" Jungkook asks.</p><p>This time Lalisa rolls her eyes.</p><p>"And how is getting me out of that prison and you going out of the palace related?" Jungkook furrows his eyebrows.</p><p>"Well, I thought a human might know a bit more about palace, so he might help me get you out."</p><p>"A HUMAN! HE?!"</p><p>"Don't exaggerate it hyung. I trust him. And moreover, I came back safe."</p><p>"So where's this 'human' friend of yours?" Jungkook puts emphasis on human.</p><p>"You don't have to say human that way. Not all humans are cruel. Some are trustworty like him. And I was not able to find him," Lalisa looks at Jungkook's baffled face and speaks to defend herself again, "At least I did not leave baby mermaid with some human to take care of her."</p><p>Jungkook remembers when he had asked Jimin to protect the baby mermaid as he wouldn't be able to for the day. And Jimin had taken care of her and had came to give her back. But one thing Jungkook did not understand was, how did Jimin know where he lived? He never told Jimin.</p><p>"I trust that human," Jungkook tells Lalisa, "So I asked him to keep her safe till I return. You know what had happened that day don't you?"</p><p>Lalisa nods remembering the day when humans came to know about merfolk on land and the royal family's murder by Wook.</p><p>"Just the way you trust that human, I trust this human friend of mine too." Lalisa explains.</p><p>"You love a human?!" Jungkook asks, his eyes wide.</p><p>"Wha - No! He's a FRIEND that I trust," And then it occurs to Lalisa, "Does that mean you love your human friend?" Lalisa wiggles her eyebrows smiling mischievously.</p><p>"No." Jungkook snorts stepping back.</p><p>Lalisa continues wiggling her eyebrows, "You can tell me hyung."</p><p>Jungkook flicks her forehead with his index finger, "Tell me his name."</p><p>"Who?"</p><p>"Your human friend."</p><p>"What will you do after I tell you?"</p><p>"Nothing. Just tell me."</p><p>"Nooo," Lalisa smiles even more mischievously, "First tell me your friend's name. Do I know her? When did you meet her?"</p><p>Jungkook's face drops when he understands what Lalisa is assuming. Of course she'll think it's a woman.</p><p>"I'll tell you his name if you tell me your friend's name." Lalisa walks to her bed and flops on it.</p><p>Jungkook considers the offer, but later shakes his head. He'll find out about Lalisa's human friend anyhow. But he can't let her know that her brother likes a man. She won't understand. No one will.</p><p>Jungkook sighs and sits beside Lalisa on her bed.</p><p>"Father's going to - " Jungkook starts.</p><p>"You can't avoid my offer just like that." Lalisa interrupts.</p><p>"I am not avoiding it. I don't want to know his name," Before Lalisa could open her mouth to urge him to tell his friend's name, Jungkook continues, "And I am not going to tell you my friend's name."</p><p>Lalisa puckers her lips out but let's her Jungkook hyung decide when to tell her about his 'friend'.</p><p>"Oh, and about papa. He's already done it. And I couldn't do a thing to stop him," Lalisa sighs sadly.</p><p>"So he's the king now?"</p><p>"Yes."</p><p>"And his kept his word?"</p><p>"Yes."</p><p>"And now there's no mermen killing humans?"</p><p>"None."</p><p>"But?" Jungkook knows a but coming as he looks at Lalisa.</p><p>"Humans won't stop. I understand merfolk started it all. But - "</p><p>Jungkook sighs, "Would we have kept quite if someone else did what we did to humans with us?"</p><p>"No." Lalisa replies.</p><p>"I know father would never take a decision unless it was a last option. But this was not our place to take over human land. Some other human cold have done it. But. Anyway. Now we will have to look after both humans and merfolk. And we will have to find a way to defeat the shark monster as soon as possible so we'd go back again and leave humans at peace."</p><p>Lalisa feels some weird feeling deep down.</p><p>They will have to leave the land.</p><p>Shouldn't that be a good news?</p>
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